英语语言学导论
Is language a system?
Yes.
Is there intrinsic connection between form and meaning?
No. It’s arbitrary .
Language is a system whose parts can and must be considered in their synchronic solidarity. (de Saussure, 1916)
[Language is] a set (finite or infinite) of sentences, each finite in length and constructed out of a finite set of elements. (Chomsky, 1957)
Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication.
Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication.
A system ----elements in it are arranged according to certain rules. They cannot be
arranged at will.
e.g. He the table cleaned. bkli
Arbitrary ----there is no intrinsic (logic) connection between a linguistic form and its meaning.
Vocal --------the primary medium for all languages is sound, no matter how well developed their writing systems are.
Writing systems came into being much later than the spoken forms.
People with little or no literacy can also be competent language users.
Symbols ----words are just the symbols associated with objects, actions, and ideas by convention.
Human ----language is human-specific.
Human beings have different kinds of brains and vocal capacity.
“Language Acquisition Device” (LAD)
语言习得机制
Origin of language
1.The divine theory 神论说--- God created language for human beings.
2.The bow-wow theory 拟声说--- Language developed from the imitation of the calls of
animals.
3.The pooh-pooh theory 感叹说--- Language developed from instinctive sounds of pain,
anger and joy of human beings.
4.The “yo-he-ho” theory 韵律说--- Language developed from rhythmic grunts of people
when they worked together.
Properties of Language -Design features
Arbitrariness [‘a:bi,tr?rinis] 任意性
?The arbitrary property of language means that there is no logical connection between sounds and meanings (form and meaning).
Arbitrariness
◆Arbitrary relationship between the sound of a morpheme and its meaning
◆Arbitrariness at the syntactic level
The sentence is less arbitrary than words.
Correspondence between word order and natural event.
◆Arbitrariness and convention
While arbitrariness makes language flexible and creative, convention makes it stable and laborious to learn.
Conventionality is more important than arbitrariness in learning a language.
Duality二元性
?The duality nature of language means that language is a system, which consists of two sets of structure, or two levels.
◆Two levels of structures
?Primary level: meaningful units
(e.g. words)
?Secondary level: meaningless units
(e.g. sounds)
Productivity 多产性
?The speaker is able to combine the basic linguistic units to form an infinite set of sentences, most of which are never before produced or heard.
?Eg.
?He bought a book / which was written by a teacher / who taught in a school / which was known for its graduates / who…
?We can speak an endless number of sentences with a limited vocabulary, and one sentence can expand into endless theoretically possible sentences in the way of recurring. Cultural transmission 文化传递性
How did you learn language?
?While human capacity for language has a genetic basis, the details of any language are not genetically transmitted, but instead have to be taught and learned anew. It is passed down from one generation to the next through teaching and learning, rather than by instinct.
Displacement 时间移位性
?To symbolize objects, events and concepts which are not present (in time and space) at the moment of communication.
Language can be used to refer to contexts removed from the immediate situations of the speaker. Functions of Language
Practical functions
To chat, to think, to buy and sell, to read and write, to greet people...
Abstract functions
To refer, to inform, to communicate…
?Halliday 2003
?Three broad functions of language (Page10)
?Jakobson
?Six key elements of communication
?Six basic functions of language
?Hu et al: (7 functions)
Functions of Language
Halliday (born 1925)
Functional Grammar
Ideational Function 概念功能
Interpersonal Function 人际功能
Textual Function 语篇功能
M.A.K. Halliday
―Three broad functions of language
→Ideational
Language expresses our perception of the world
→Interpersonal
Language enables us to communicate with people
→Textual
Language is used to organise texts: written and spoken
Functions of Language
Jakobson
Six key elements of communication-
addresser, addressee, context, message, code, contact
Framework of language functions-
referential 所指功能
poetic 诗学功能
emotive 情感功能
conative 意动功能
phatic 交感功能
metalingual 元语言功能
●Addresser---emotive情感(to express attitudes,
feelings and emotions)
(e.g. 'Oh!' )
●Addressee---Conative意动(to persuade and
influence others through commands and entreaties)
(eg. imperatives: Come here! )
●Context---referential所指( to convey message
and information)
(eg. The Earth is round ; Water boils at 100 degrees.)
?Code---metalingual 元语言(to clear up intentions, words and meanings).
?What do you mean by 'krill' ?
?Contact---Phatic 交感(to establish communion with others)
?(e.g. Good morning!)
?Message---Poetic 诗学(to indulge in language for its own sake)
?(e.g. 'Oh!' )
胡壮麟
Seven basic functions of language
Informative 信息功能
Interpersonal 人际功能
Performative 施为功能
Emotive 感情功能
Phatic 交感功能
Recreational 娱乐性功能
Metalingual 元语言功能
Informative function of language
The predominant function of language, also called ideational function in the framework of functional grammar.
Language expresses our perception of the world
Interpersonal function of language
The most important function in sociological use of language.
1.To express the identity of the addresser and addressee. For example,
①Physical identity: age, sex, voice print, etc.
②Psychological identity: language, personality, intelligence, etc.
③Geographical identity: accent, dialect, etc.
④Ethnical and social identity: class, status, role, solidarity, distance, etc.
2.To express the addresser's attitude toward what he speaks or writes about. (e.g.
Dear Sir, Dear Professor, Johnny, yours, your obedient servant)
Performative function of language
1.To change the social status of persons.
?In marriage ceremonies: Now I pronounce you man and wife.
?In a law court: Now I sentence you to 3 three years imprisonment.
?In church: May God bless y’all.
?In a launching ceremony: Now I name the ship Elizabeth II.
?In cursing someone: God damn it.
2.To control reality
–in Chinese：岁岁平安-Every year be safe and happy.
Emotive function of language
1.To change the emotional status of an audience for or against someone or something.
–What a sight, Wow, Ugh, Ow ...
2.To express one’s own feelings without any implication of communicating with others
–Damn! Man! Oh, boy! And hurrah!
Phatic function of language
We all use such small, seemingly meaningless expressions to maintain a comfortable relationship between people without involving any factual content.
1.To start or end a conversation
- “Nice day, isn’t it?”
- “Hi, I’m William Blake.”
- “I must go home, or my husband will beat me.”
2.To help maintain a comfortable socio-interpersonal relationship between people.
- “Good morning”
- “吃饭了吗？”
Recreational function
The use of language for the sheer joy.
1.To entertain people
- nursery rhymes 童谣
- nonsensical lyrics 无意义的歌词
2.To show skills in the use of language.
- poetry for its sheer beauty
Metalingual function of language
The use of language to talk about language.
This makes the language infinitely self-reflexive: We human beings talk about talk and think about thinking, and thus only human beings can ask what it means to communicate, to think, to be human.