英语2Linguistics题目及答案
语言学练习题 Chapter 2 Linguistics
Chapter Two Linguistics1. Define the following terms.1)syntagmatic relation vs paradigmatic relation2)langue vs parole3)competence vs performance4)descriptive linguistics vs historical linguistics5)theoretical linguistics vs applied linguistics6)deccriptive linguistics vs prescriptive linguistics7)synchronic vs diachronic linguistics8)macrolinguistics vs microlinguistics9)Comparative historical linguistics vs contrastive linguistics2. Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).1)( ) Prescriptive linguistics is more popular than descriptive linguisticsbecause it can tell us how to speak correct language.2)( ) C ompetencce and performance refer respectively to a language user’sunderlying knowledge about the system of rules and the actual use of language in concrete situations.3)( ) The antithesis of langue and parole was created by Chomsky.4)( ) Cockoo in English is onomatopoeia.5)( ) Synchronic linguistics is concerned with the study of languagedevelopment through time.6)( ) Prescriptive linguists are concerned with how languages work, not withhow they can be improved.7)( ) Linguistics tries to answer the basic questions” what is a language”and “How does a language work”.8)( ) Onomatopoetic words are found in almost all human languages, which showsthe arbitrary nature of languages.9)( ) Each language contains two systems rather than one, a system of soundand a system of meaning.10)( ) Cultural transmission refers to the fact that the details of thelinguistic system must be learned a new by each speaker.11)( ) Phatic function refers to language used to exchange information andideas.12)( ) Speakers of all languages are capable of producing and comprehendingan infinite set of sentences, which accounts for syntactic universality.13)( ) Hall iday’s linguistic potential is similar to the notions of paroleand performance14)( ) By diachronie study we mean to study the changes and development oflanguage.15)( ) Langue is relatively stable and systematic while parole is subject topersonal and situational constraints.16)( ) In language classrooms nowadavs the grammar taught to students isbasically descriptive, and more attention is paid to the developing learners ‘ communicative skills.17)( ) Saussure’s exposition of synchronic analysis led to the school ofhistorical linguistics18)( ) Applied linguistics is the application of linguistic principles andtheories to language teaching and learning.19)( ) Semantics is the study of the meaning of words and sentences.20)( ) A diachronic study is concerned with the historical development of alanguage over a period of time.21)( ) A paradigmatic relation is a relation between a linguistic element inan utterance and linguistic elements outside that utterance, but belongingto the same sub-system of the language.22)( ) General linguistics aims at developing a theory that describes the rulesof a particular language.23)( ) English linguistics is a kind of descriptive linguistics.24)( ) Competence is more concrete than performance.25)( ) Descriptive linguistics attempts to establish a theory which accountsfor the rules of language in general.26)( ) Langue is more abstract than parole and therefore is not directlyobservable.27)( ) General linguistics deals with the whole human language.28)( ) All the English words are not symbolic.29)( ) All sounds produced by human speech organs are linguistic symbols.30)( ) Descriptive linguistics studies one specific language.31)( ) Morphological knowledge is a native speaker’s intuition about how asentence is formed.32)( ) Phonetics is the science that deals with the sound system.33)( ) A diachronic study of a language is concerned with a state of a languageat a particular point of time.3. Multiple Choice1) ______ made the distinction between competence and performance.A. SaussureB. Chomsky C Bloomfiled D. Sapir2) Findings in linguistic studies can often be applied to the solution of somepractical problems, the study of such applications is knowns as ________.A. anthropological linguisticsB. computational linguisticsC. applied linguisticsD. mathematical linguistics3) _______ refers to the abstract linguistic system shared by all the membersof speech community.A. ParoleB. langue C speech D. writing4) Which of the following is not the major brach of linguisticsA. phonologyB. pragmaticsC. syntax D speech5) ________ deals with language application to other fields, particularly education.A. Linguistic geographyB. SociolinguisticsC. Applied linguisticsD. Comparative linguistics6) Which branch of linguistics studies the similarities and differences amonglanguagesA. Diachronic linguistics.B. Synchronic linguistics.C. Prescriptive linguistics.D. Comparative linguistics.7） ________ has been widely accepted as the forefather of modern linguistics.A. ChomskyB. SaussureC. BloomfieldD. John Lyons8) The study of language as a whole is often called ---.A. general linguisticsB. sociolingyusticsC. psycholinguisticsD. applied linguistics9) The study of language meaning is called--.A. syntaxB. semantics C morphology D. pragmatics10) The description of a language at some point in time is a – study.A synchronic B. diachronic C descriptive D. prescriptive4. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words:1) refers to the abstract linguistic system shared by all the members ofa speech community.2) is the actual realization of one’s linguistic knowledge inutterances.3) Modem linguistic is in the sense that the linguist tries to discover whatlanguage is rather than lay down some rules for people to observe.4) The description of a language as it changes through time is a study.5) Saussure put forward two important concepts, refers to the abstractlinguistic system shared by all members of a speech community.6) Linguistic potential is similar to Saussure’ s langue and Chomsky’ s .7) The four principles in the linguistic study are (1) (2)(3) (4)8) Morphology is the branch of linguistics which studies the form of words.9) The branch of general linguistics which is named studies the internalstructure of sentences.10) In Saussure’s view, the relationship between signifier (sound image) andsignified (concept) is .11) is an umbrella term which covers a variety of different interestsin language and society, including the social functions of language and thesocial characteristics of its users.12) The distinction between langue and parole is made by the Swiss linguist F.de Saussure. The distinction between competence and performance is made bythe American linguist .13) The writing English is. known as the sound writing system while that ofJapanese as ___writing system.14) According to John Lyons, ___ linguistics_ deals with language in generaland _ linguistics is concerned with one particular language.15) In de Saussure’s term, _____ refers to the system of language and _____refers to the speaker’s speech.16) _____ is the science that deals with the sound system.17) Syntax studies two kinds of rules: _____ rules and rules18) Langue or competence is ______ and not directly observed, while parole orperformance is _____ and directly observable.19) A ________ relation refers to the sequential characteristic of speech.20) ___ ___ knowledge is a native speaker’s intuition about the sounds and soundpatterns of his language.21) ______ knowledge is a native speaker’s intuition about how a word is formed.22) ______ knowledge is a native speaker’s intuition about whether a sentenceis grammatical or not.23) ______ knowledge is a native speaker’s intuition about the meaning oflanguage, including meaning of words and meaning of sentences.24) ______ is the study of speech sounds of all human languages.25) ______ examines word formation and the internal structure of words.5. Answer the following questions.1) What is the difference between general linguistics and descriptive linguistics2) What is the difference between synchronic and diachronic linguistics Is iteasy to draw a sharp line between them if we look at language closely3) What distinguish prescriptive studies of language from descriptive studiesof language Comment on the merits and weaknesses of descriptive grammar and prescriptive grammar.4) What are the four principles for the scientific analysis of language5) Point out three ways in which linguistics differs from traditional grammar.6) What are the main differences between “competence” and “performance”7) What is the major difference between Saussure’s distinction of langue andparole and Chomsky’s distinction of competence and performance what should be studies in linguistics in your opinion and why8) Explain “speech and writing”, and cite two ormore examples.Key to Chapter Two1. Define the following terms.1）syntagmatic relation vs paradigmatic relationEssentially the relations between linguistic elements are of two dimensions, usually syntagmatic and paradigmatic. syntagmatic or sequential relations are those holding between elements forming serial structure, or “strings’ as they are sometimes called. In syntax, the horizontal relationship between elements shows how a form (X) combines with others (W + X + Y) in a serial combination.It refers to the linear ordering of the words and the phrases within a sentence.Paradigmatic relations are those holding between comparable elements at particular places in structures. The vertical or substitutional relationship shows how other different forms (Xa, Xb, Xc) can function in the same place in structure in a paradigmatic relation.2) langue vs paroleSaussure refers “langue” to the abstract linguistic system shared by all the members of a speech community and refers” parole” to the actual or actualized language, or the realization of langue. Langue is abstract, parole specific to the speaking situation; langue not actually spoken by an individual, parole always a naturally occurring event; langue relatively stable and systematic, parole subject to personal and situational constraints. For Saussure, parole is a mass of confused facts, thus not suitable for systematic investigation. What a linguist ought to do, according to Saussure, is to abstract langue from instances of parole, ., to discover the regularities governing all instances of parole andmake them the subject of linguistics. The langue-parole distinction is of great importance, which casts great influence on laterlinguists.3) competence vs performance(1)According to N. Chomsky, “competence” is the ideal language user’s knowledge of the rules of his language, and “performance” is the arctual realization of this knowledge in utterances. The former enables a speaker to produce and understand an indefinite number of sentences and to recognize grammatical mistakes and ambiguities. A speaker’s competence is stable while his performance is often influenced by psychological and social factors. So a speaker’s performance does not always match or equal his supposed competence.(2)Chomsky believes that linguists ought to study competence, rather than performance. In other words, they should discover what an ideal speaker knows of his native language.(3) Chomsky’s competence-performance distinction is not exactly the same as, t hough similar to, F. de Saussure’s language parole distinction. Langue is a social product and a set of conventions for a community, while competence is deemed as a property of the mind of each individual. Saussure looks at language more from a sociological or sociolinguistic point of view than N. Chomsky since the latter deals with his issues psychologically or psycholinguistically.4) descriptive linguistics vs historical linguisticsLinguistic study can be divided into descriptive linguistics (synchronic linguistic study) and historical linguistics (diachronic linguistic study). The former refers to the description of a language at a particular point of time in history while the latter, a diachronic study of language, studies the historical development of language over a period of time.5) theoretical linguistics vs applied linguisticsA third dichotomy is that which holds between theoretical and applied linguistics. The former copes with language and languages with a view toestablishing a theory of their structure and functions and without regard to any practical applications that the investigation of language and languages might have, whereas the latter is chiefly concerned with the application of the concepts and findings of linguistics to all sorts of practical tasks, including language teaching.6) deccriptive linguistics vs prescriptive linguisticsA linguistic study is descriptive if it only describes and analyzes the facts of language, and it is prescriptive if it tries to lay down rules for “correct” language behavior. Linguistic studies before 20th century were largely prescriptive because many early grammars were based on “high” (literary or religious) written records. Modem linguistics is mostly descriptive, however, which believes that whatever occurs in natural speech (hesitation, incomplete utterance, misunderstanding, etc.) should be described in the analysis, and not be marked as incorrect, abnormal, corrupt, or lousy. These, with changes inlvocabulary and structures, need to be explained distinction lies in prescribing how things ought to be and describing how things are. To say that linguistics is a descriptive science is to say that the linguist tries to discover and record the rules to which the members of a language-community actually conform and does not seek to impose upon them other rules, or norms, of correctness, which are in the scope of prescriptive linguistics.7) synchronic vs diachronic linguisticsSynchronic linguistics takes a fixed instant (usually, but not necessarily, the present) as its point of observation. In contrast, diachronie linguistics is the study of a language through the Course of itshistory; therefore, it is also called historical linguistics.The description of a languageat some point of time (as if it stopped developing) is a synchronic study (synchrony). The description of a languageas it changes through timeis a diachronic study (diachrony). An essay entitled” On the Use of THE”, for example, may be synchronic, if the author does not recall the past of THE, and it may also be diachronic if he claims to cover a large range or period of time wherein THE has undergone tremendous alteration.8) macrolinguistics vs microlinguisticsMacrolinguistics falls on the verge of linguistics. It includes the following disciplines: philosophical linguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, etc. Lyons has the same distinction.Microlinguistics concentrates on the study of all the interior aspects ofa language system. Traditional linguistic study describes language system fromtwo aspects —lexicon and grammar. Dictionaries and grammar books are products of such researches and studies.9）Comparative historical linguistics vs contrastive linguisticsComparative historical linguistics draws on the special historical comparison in linguistics to study the historical development of some related languages (languages originating from a uniform ancestry). It is in fact a special part of historical linguistics. Thanks to the development of historical comparative linguistics in 19th century, linguistics comes to be an independent discipline. Contrastive linguistics focuses on structural similarities and differences of two or more languages (relevant or unrelated) by means of comparison and contrastive study. This study belongs to descriptive linguistics. It can help people have a deep understanding of the properties and universal characteristics of different languages and thus exerts great influence on foreign language teaching.2. Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).1)(F) Prescriptive linguistics is more popular than descriptivelinguistics because it can tell us how to speak correct language.2)(T) Competencce and performance refer respectively to a languageuser’s underlying knowledge ab out the system of rules and the actualuse of language in concrete situations.3)(F) The antithesis of langue and parole was created by Chomsky. (中国矿业大学，2004)4)(T) Cockoo in English is onomatopoeia. (中国矿业大学，2004)5)(F) Synchronic linguistics is concerned with the study of languagedevelopment through time. (中国矿业大学，2004)6)(T) Prescriptive linguists are concerned with how languages work, notwith how they can be improved. (中国矿业大学，2004)7)(T) Linguistics tries to answer the basic questions” what is alanguage” and “How does a language work”. （南京师范大学，2002）8)(F) Onomatopoetic words are found in almost all human languages, whichshows the arbitrary nature of languages. （中国矿业大学，2002）9)(T) Each language contains two systems rather than one, a system of soundand a system of meaning. （中国矿业大学，2002）10)(T) Cultural transmission refers to the fact that the details of thelinguistic system must be learned a new by each speaker. （中国矿业大学，2002）11)(F) Phatic function refers to language used to exchange information andideas. （中国矿业大学，2002）12)(F) Speakers of all languages are capable of producing and comprehendingan infinite set of sentences, which accounts for syntactic universality.（中国矿业大学，2002）13)(F) Halliday’s linguistic potential is similar to the notions of paroleand performance14)(T) By diachronie study we mean to study the changes and developmentof language.15)(T) Langue is relatively stable and systematic while parole is subjectto personal and situational constraints.16)(T) In language classrooms nowadavs the grammar taught to students isbasically descriptive, and more attention is paid to the developing learners ‘ communicative skills.17)(F) Saussure’s exposition of synchronic analysis led to the school ofhistorical linguistics.18)(T) Applied linguistics is the application of linguistic principles andtheories to language teaching and learning.19)(F) Semantics is the study of the meaning of words and sentences.20)(T) A diachronic study is concerned with the historical developmentof a language over a period of time.21)(F) A paradigmatic relation is a relation between a linguistic elementin an utterance and linguistic elements outside that utterance, but belonging to the same sub-system of the language.22)(F) General linguistics aims at developing a theory that describesthe rules of a particular language.23)( T) English linguistics is a kind of descriptive linguistics.24)(F) Competence is more concrete than performance.25)(F) Descriptive linguistics attempts to establish a theory whichaccounts for the rules of language in general.26)(T) Langue is more abstract than parole and therefore is notdirectly observable.27)(T) General linguistics deals with the whole human language.28)(T) All the English words are not symbolic.29)(F) All sounds produced by human speech organs are linguistic symbols.30)(T) Descriptive linguistics studies one specific language.31)(F) Morphological knowledge is a native speaker’s intuition abouthow a sentence is formed.32)(F) Phonetics is the science that deals with the sound system.33)(F) A diachronic study of a language is concerned with a state ofa language at a particular point of time.3. Multiple choice1) – 5): BCBDC 6) – 10): DBABA4. Word completion1) Langue 2) Performance3) descriptive 4) diachronic5) langue 6) competence7) (1) consistency (2) economy (3) objectivity (4) exhaustiveness8) Morphology 9) syntax10) arbitrary 11) socialinguistics12) Chomsky 13) syllabic14) general, descriptive 15) langue, parole16) Phonology 17) phrase structure, transformational18) abstract; concrete 19) syntagmatic20) Phonological 21) Morphological22) Syntactic 23) Semantic24) Phonetics 25) Morphology5. Answer the following questions.1) What is thedifference between general linguistics and descriptive linguisticsThe former deals with language in general, . the whole human language whereas the latter is concerned with one particular language. The former aims at developing a theory that describes the rules of human language in general while the latter attempts to establish a model that describes the rules of one particular language, such as Chinese, English, French, etc. General Linguistics and descriptive linguistics are dependent on each other. In the first place, general linguistics provides descriptive linguistics with a general framework in which any particular language can be described, studied and analyzed. Very often, it may supply several different frameworks for descriptive linguists to choose from. Depending on their different views on language, they may follow one model exclusively or combine two or more models. In the second, the resulting descriptions of particular languages, in turn, supply empirical evidence which may confirm or refute the model(s) put forward by general linguistics. In other words, general linguistics and descriptive linguistics are complementary to each other despite their different objects of study and different goals.2) What is the difference between diachronic linguistics Is it easy to drawa sharp line between them if we look at language closely(1) Synchronic linguistics takes a fixed instant (usually, but notnecessarily, the present) as its point of observation. In contrast, diachronie linguistics is the study of a language through the Course of itshistory;therefore, it is also called historical linguistics.(2) Synchronic/diachronic perspective toward language is one of Saussure’smost central ideas expressed in the form of pairs of Concepts. The former sees languageas a living whole; existing as a “‘state” at a particular moment in time; the latter sees it as a continually changing medium. In this view, it is always necessary to carry out some degree of synchronic work before making a diachronic study: before we can say how a language has changed from state X to state Y, we need to about X and Y. Correspondingly, a synchronic analysis can be made without referring to history. This can be illustrated as Sanssure did using an analogy with a game of chess. A state of the set of chessmen is like a state of language. “The respective value of the pieces depends on their position on the chessboard just as each linguistic term derives its value from its opposition to all the other terms.” On the o ther hand, the value of each piece also;depends on the convention--the set of rules that exists before the game begins. This is like the set of rules that exists in language. A state of the game of chess is momentary just like a state of language change. When one piece is moved, the game passes from one state of equilibrium to the next. This corresponds closely to the situation of language between states. To study this static state is called synchronic linguistics. The moving of one piece is like one type of change in language. The consequence of one move can be very big or small; the same is true with language changes. The player of a chess game is solely concerned with the momentary positions of the pieces; he does not need to remember the previous moves so as to decide the next move. A player who knows the history of the game does not necessarily have more to say about the next move than a man who has just come to the game, ignorant of what has happened before. Similarly, a speaker of a language can learn the languagewell without knowing its historical statesl We can describe a state of a game without bothering the techniques both players have used to bring about the state. Likewise, we can describe the state of a language without knowing its history,3) What distinguish prescriptive studies of language from descriptive studiesof language Comment on the merits and weaknesses of descriptive grammar and prescriptive grammar.(1) The distinction lies in prescribing how things ought to be and describing how things actually are. The essence of prescriptivism is the notion that one variety of languages has an inherently higher value than others, and that this ought to be imposed on the whole of the speech community. Although prescriptivismis still with :us, descriptivism wins more and more understanding. It proposes that the task of the grammarian is to describe, not prescribe——to record the facts of. linguistic diversity, and not to attempt the impossible tasks of being language police and trying to. stop language from changing, or imposing on members of a language community the so-called norms of correctness.(2) Weakness of prescriptive grammar (Merits of descriptive grammar). ①The reason why present-day linguists are so insistent about the distinction between the two is simply that traditional grammar was very strongly normativein character, . “you should never use a double-negative”;“you should not split the infinitive” etc. People realize nowadays the facts of usage count more than the authority, stipulated “standards!’. We can appeal neither to logic nor to Latin granunar when it comes to deciding whether something is oris not correct in English. ② Prescriptivism is an individual attitude. The related social attitude that goes to the extreme of prescriptivism is purism, which is something we should guard against. Pure prescriptive grammar will leadto artificial claims that are hard to maintain in light of the facts. While prescriptivists would prefer the use of the past subjunctive after if (If I were you, etc.), it is very difficult to claim that everyone who uses “was” is wrong, especially are the majority in spoken language. While there are still traditionalist grammarians claiming that they are right and half the populationis wrong, most have modified their approach and talk of this form as preferable, or describe it as formal register. ③ The prescriptive attitude seems to ignore the fact that English has evolved over the centuries into what it is today whereas the descriptive attitude seems to be more sensitive to anything that goes on to a certain extent. A language is a living creature. There is no fixed form for any language. No one speaks Shakespearean medieval English today. However, no one says the British today speaks the incorrect English. It will and should change over time.4) What are the four principles for the scientific analysis of languageThe four principles to make a scientific study of language are exhaustiveness, consistency, economy, and objectivity.(1) Exhaustiveness: the linguist should gather all the materials relevant to his investigation and give them an adequate explanation. Language is extremely complex; he cannot attempt to describe all aspects of language at once, but to examine one aspect at a time.(2) Consistency: there should be no contradiction between different parts of the total statement.(3) Economy: other things being equal, a shorter statement or analysis is preferred to a longer or more involved one. The best statements are the shortest possible, which can account most fully for all facts.(4) Objectivity: a linguist should be as objective as possible in his description and analysis’of data, allowing no prejudice to influence his generalizations. He should not omit any linguistic facts because he himself considers there to be “inelegant” or “substandard”. Nor should he conceal facts that do not conform to his generalizations. His aim should be to present his analysis in such a way that every part of it can be tested and verified; not only by himself, but by anyone else who makes a description of different。
27037本科自考英语语言学概论精心整理Chapter2Linguistics
Chapter 2 Linguistics语言学2.1 The scope of linguistics:语言学的研究范畴Linguistics is referred to as a scientific study of language.语言学是对语言的科学研究。
It may be a study of the structure of language，the history of language，the functions of language，etc.它可能研究语言的及结构,语言的历史、语言的功能等。
It is a scientific study beacause “it is based on the systematic investigation of linguistic data，conducted with reference to some general theory of language structure”（Dai Wei dong，1988:1）这是一个科学研究因为“这是基于语言数据的系统考察,和语言结构一般理论的研究之上的”2.1.1 Lyons’ distinctions 莱昂斯的区分1) General linguistics and descriptive linguistics. 普通语言学与描写语言学：The former deals with language in general whereas the latter is concerned with one particular language.前者处理一般语言，而后者涉及一个特定的语言。
2) Synchronic linguistics and diachronic linguistics. 共时语言学与历时语言学：Diachronic linguistics traces the historical development of the language and records the changes that have taken place in it between successive points in time. And synchronic linguistics presents an account of language as it is at some particular point in time.历时语言学追溯了语言的历时发展和记录了发生的连续时间点间的变化，共时语言学提供了一个账户的语言，因为它是某个特定的时间点。
英语语言学练习(含答案)
Chapter 11.Linguistics is generally defined as the scientific study of language .(√)2.What first drew the attention of the linguistics were the rules used in language .(×)[What first drew the attention of the linguistics were the sounds used in language .]3The major branches of linguistics are phonetics ,phonedogy ,psycholinguistics ,morphology ,syntax ,semantics ,pragmat ic ,sociolinguistics ,and applied linguistics .(√)4.As linguist became interest in how sounds are put together and used to convey meaning in communication ,they developed another branches of study related to sounds called phonetics .(×)[As linguist became interest in how sounds are put together and used to convey meaning in communication ,they developed another branches of study related to sounds called phonology .]5.Linguistic study aims to describe and analyze the language people actually use ,it is said to be descriptive and modern linguistics is mostly descriptive .(√)6.The description of a language at some point of time in history is a diachronic study ,but the description of language as it changes changes though time is a synchronic .(×)[The description of a language at some point of time in history is a synchronic study ,but the description of language as it changes changes though time is a diachronic .]ngue and parole are relatively stable ,it does not change frequently .(×) [Langue and parole varies from person to person ,from situation to situation .]8.Chomsky define competence as the ideal user's knowledge of the rules of his language ,and performance the actual realization of this language in linguistic communication .(√)9.Modern linguistics regards the written as primary .(×)[Modern linguistics regards the spoken language as primary .]nguage is a s ystem of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication .(√)nguage is arbitrary ,this means that there is logical connection between meanings and sounds .(×)[Language is arbitrary ,this means that there is not logical connection between meanings and sounds .]nguage feature are arbitrariness ,productivity ,duality ,displacement ,cultural transmission .(√) nguage is arbitrary by nature ,and it is entirely arbitrary .(×) [Language is arbitrary by nature ,and it is not entirely arbitrary .]14.Productivity is unique to human language .(√)nguage is a system ,which consists of three sets of structures ,or three levels .(×)[Language is a system ,which consists of two sets of structures ,or three levels .]16.Three main functions of language are :the descriptive function ,the expressive,and the social function.(√)nguage cannot beautiful used to refer to contexts removed from the immediate situation of the speaker .(×)[Language can beautiful used to refer to contexts removed from the immediate situation of the speaker .]18."what cannot I do for you ,girl ?" This sentence illustrates the expressive function of language .(×)["what cannot I do for you ,girl ?" This sentence illustrates the social function of language .]19.An English speaker and a Chinese speaker are both able to use a language ,but are not mutually intelligible . This indicates cultural transmission feature of language .(√)20The ideational function is indicate ,establish ,or maintain social relationships be tween people .(×)[The interpersonal function is indicate ,establish ,or maintain social relationships between people .]Chapter 21.Speech and writing are the two media order substances used by natural language as vehicle for communication .(√)2.Phonetics is defined as the study of the phonic medium of language ;it is concerned with a part of the sounds that occur in the world's language .(×)[Phonetics is defined as the study of the phonic medium of language ;it is concerned with all the sounds that occur in the world's language .]3.The branches of phonetics are articulatory phonetics ,auditory phonetics ,and acoustics phonetics .(√)4.Phonetic similarly ,phonetic identity is the criterion with which were operatein the phonolgical analysis of langua ge .(×)[Phonetic similarly ,not phonetic identity is the criterion with which were operate in the phonolgical analysis of language .]5.When the vocal cords are drawn wide apart,letting air go through without causing vibration, the sounds produced in suc h a condition are voiceless. (√)6.The speech organ located in this cavity are the tongue, the uvula，the soft palate （the velum）， the hard palate，the teeth ridge（the alveolus），the teeth and the lips.(√)7.Two ways to transcribe speech sounds are broad transcription and narrow transcription. Narrow transcription is the transcription with letter-symbols only，broad transcription is the transcription with letter-symbols together with the diacritics.（×）[Two ways to transcribe speech sounds are broad transcription and narrow transcription. broad transcription is the transcription with letter-symbols only，Narrow transcription is the transcription with letter-symbols together with the diacritics.]8.In the case of sport，the [p] sound is said to be unaspirated，and in the case of speed，the [p] sound is said to be aspirated.（×）[In the case of sport，the [p] sound is said to be aspirated，and in the case of speed，the [p] sound is said to be unaspirated.]9.English consonants can be classified in two ways：one is in terms of manner of articulation and the other is in terms of place of articulation.（√）10.In terms of manner of articulation the English consonants can be classified into six types：stops、fricatives、affricates、liquids、nasals、and bilabial. （×）[In terms of manner of articulation the English consonants can be classified into six types：stops、fricatives、affricates、liquids、nasals、and glides . ]11.In terms of place of articulation，the English consonants can be classified into seven types：bilabial、labiodental、dental、alveolar、palatal、velar、and glottal. （√）12.Vowels may be distinguished as front，central，and back according to which part of the tongue is held lowest.(×)[Vowels may be distinguished as front，central，and back according to which part of the tongue is held highest .]13、We classify the vowels into four groups：close vowels，semi-close vowels，semi-open vowels， and open vowels. （√）14、In English，all the front vowels and the central vowels are unrounded vowels，without rounding the lips，and all the back vowels are rounded.(×)[In English，all the front vowels and the central vowels are unrounded vowels without the [a:]，without rounding the lips，and all the back vowels are rounded.]15.The main supranational features include stress ,intonation ,and tone .Stressc ontains word stress and sentence stress.(√)16.There are four tones .The first tone is level ,the second rise ,the third fall -rise ,and the fourth fall .(√)17."He is driving my car ",the words that are normally unstressed .i.e.is ,car ,can all bear the stress to express what the speaker intends to mean.(×)["He is driving my car ",the words that are normally unstressed .i.e.is ,my ,can all bear the stress to express what the speaker intends to mean.]18.The location of stress in English distinguishes me aning .(√)19When spoken in different intonation ,the same sequence of word may have different meanings.(×)[When spoken in different tones ,the same sequence of word may have different meanings.]20.A phoneme is a phonological unit ,it is an concrete unit . (×)[A phoneme is a phonological unit ,it is an abstract unit .]Chapter 31. Conjunctions,prepositions,articles and pronouns consist of the "grammatical" and "functional" words. (√)2. Linguisis use the term morphlolgy to refer to the part of the grammar that is concerned with word and word structure.(√)3.Linguisis define the word as the smallest free form found in language. (√)4. The plural marking -s is a free form. (×) [The plural marking -s is not a free form]5. Morpheme is the smallest unit of language that carries information about meaning or function. (√)6. The word READER consists of two morphemes:read and -er. (√)7. The English plural and possessive morphems may be said to share a single morph,the suffix /-s/. (√)8. A morpheme which can be a word by itself is called a bound morpheme,whereas a morpheme that must be attached to another one is a free morpheme. (×)[A morpheme which can be a word by itself is called a free morpheme,whereas a morpheme that must be attached to another one is a bound morpheme.]9. STEM is any morpheme or combination of morphemes to which an inflectional affix can be added. (√)10. AFFIX is a collective term for the type of morpheme that can be used only when added to another morpheme (the root or stem). (√)11. The root constitutes the core of the word and carries the major component of its meaning. (√)12. Unlike roots,affixes do not belong to a lexical category and are always free morphemes. (×)[Unlike roots,affixes do not belong to a lexical category and are always bound morphemes.]13. A morpheme can be defined as a minimal unit of meaning. (√)14. -en,-ate,and -ic are thus called derivational morphemes. (√)15.The morpheme BOY is free morpheme since it can be used as a word on its own;the plural -s ,on the other hand,is bound. (√)16. It is not always possible to assign a lexical meaning to some of the morphemes. (√)17. Compounding is a very common and frequently process for enlarging the vocabulary of the English language. (√)18. Morphemes m ay have different forms. (√)19. The plural marking -s is not a free form since it never occurs in isolation and cannot be separated from the noun to which it belongs. (√)20.It is important to note that a morpheme is neither a meaning nor a stretch of s ound joined together. (√)Chapter 41.Category refers to a group of linguistic items which fullfill the different functiongs in a particular language such as a sentence ,a noun phrase order averb .(×)[Category refers to a group of linguistic items which f ullfill the same or similar functiongs in a particular language such as a sentence ,a noun phrase order a verb .]2.Syntax is a branch of linguistics that studies the rules that govern the formation of sentences .(√)3.Phrases that are formed of more than one word usually contain the following elements :head and specifier .(×)[Phrases that are formed of more than one word usually contain the following elements :head,specifier and complement .]4.Such special type of grammatical mechanism that regulates the arrangement of elements that make up a phrase is called a phrase structure rule .(√)5.Syntactic units that are built around a certain word category are called sentences .(×)[Syntactic units that are built around a certain word category are called phrases .]6.Such special type of grammatical mechanism that regulates the arrangement of elements that make up a phrase structure rule .(√)7.The words on the right side of the heads are said to function as specifiers . (×) [The words on the right side of the heads are said to function as specifiers . ]8.Major lexical categories are Non ,verb ,Adjevtive and Preposition .(√)9.The XP rules =(specifier )×(complement).(√)10.Major lexical categories play a very important role in sentence . (×) [Major lexical categories play a very important role in sentence formation .]11.The most central categories to the synthetic study are the word-level categories .(√)12.According to the XP rules ,the auxiliary is the tail of a sentence which takesa vp category as its complement on the right and an vp ,the subject ,as its specifier on the left .(×)[According to the XP rules ,the auxiliary is the head of a sentence which takes a vp category as its complement on the right and an vp ,the subject ,as its specifier on the right .]13.The words around which a phrase is formed is termed head .(√)14.Words which include the sentence complement are termed complementizers . (√)15.The construction in which the phrase is embedded a complement is called matrix clause .(×)[T he construction in which the complement phrase is embedded a complement is called matrix clause .]16.This classification reflects a variety of factors ,including the type of meaning that words express ,the type of affixes that they take ,and the type of structures in which they can occur .(√)Chapter 51.In semantic triangle， the relation between a word and a thing it refers to is not direct，and it is mediated by concept. (√)2.The relationship of “flower”，“violet”，“rose” and “tulip” is hyponymy. (√)3. A referring expression can be used to refer to nonexistent things. (√)4.Pragmatics studies the aspect of meaning that is not accounted for by semantics.(√)5.In terms of truth condition, if X is true, Y is false, and if X is false, Y is true. The relationship6. “I bought some roses” entails “I bought some flowers”. (√)7. The naming theory was proposed by the Greek scholar Plato. (√)8.According to Behaviorist learning theory, children are believed to gradually assume correct forms of the languag e of their community when their “bad” speech gets corrected and when their good speech gets positively reinforced. (√)9.The contextualist view of meaning is based on the presumption that one can derive meaning from or reduce meaning to observable context.(√)10.The term antonymy is used for oppositeness of meaning;words that are opposite in meaning are antonymy. (√)11.Semantics can be defined as the study of naming.(×)[Semantics can be defined as the study of meaning.]12.Once the notion of meaning was taken into consideration， semantics spilled into pragmatics.(×)[Once the notion of context was taken into consideration，semantics spilled into pragmatics.]13.According to semantic triangle， there is a direct link between a symbol and referent， i.e. between a word and a thing it refers to.(×)[According to semantic triangle， there is no direct link between a symbol and referent， i.e. between a word and a thing it refers to.]14.Antonyms are divided into three kinds:gragable,relational,superordinate.(×) [Antonyms are divided into three kinds:gragable,relational,complementary.]16.The meaning of the word black consists in the two collocational of black hair and black coffee. (×)17.Words are identical in sound and spelling but nearly alike or exacyly the same in meaning.(×)[Words are different in sound and spelling but nearly alike or exacyly the same in meaning.]18.Hyponyms is helpless in both receptive and productive processing of language.(×) [Hyponyms is helpful in both receptive and productive processing of language.]19.”Can I borrow your bike？"is synonymous with "You have a bike."(×)[”Can I borrow your bike？" presupposes "You have a bike."]ponential analysis can help explain the sense relations of words.(×) [Componential analysis cannot help explain the sense relations of words.]（注：可编辑下载，若有不当之处，请指正，谢谢!）。
Linguistics课后习题必背与答案
Linguistics课后习题必背与答案Chapter One Introduction4.Is modern linguistics mainly synchronic or diachronic? why Modern linguistics is mainly synchronic, focusing on the present-day language. unless the various states of a language are successfully studied, it will not be possible to describe language from a diachronic point of view.现代语言学主要是共时性的，重点研究现代语言。
除非对语言的各种状态都进行成功的研究，否则很难从历时性角度对语言进行描述。
5.For what reasons does modern linguistics give priority to speech rather than to writing?Speech is prior to writing;The writing system is invented when needed;Today there are languages which can only be spoken but not written;Speech plays a greater role than writing in daily communication; Each human being first acquires speech and then learns writing; Modern linguistics tends to pay more attention to authentic speech.9.what are the major functions of language? Think of your own examples for illustration.The descriptive function.It is the function to convey factual information,which can be asserted or denied,and in some cases even verified,e.g.”The Sichuan earthquake is the most serious one China has ever suffered.”The expressive function,supplies information about the user’s feelings,preferences,prejudices.and values,e.g.”I will never go camping with the Simpsons again.”The social function,serves to establish and maintain socialrelations between people,e.g.”How can I help you, sir?Chapter Two Phonology1.What are the two major media of communication? Of the two, which one is primary and why?Speech and writing are two major media of linguistic communication. Modern linguistics regards speech as the primary one for some reasons. From the point of view of linguistic evolution, speech is prior to writing. The writing system is to record speech. Even today, there are some tribes without writing system. From the view of children’s development, children acquire his mother tongue before they learn to write.5.what criteria are used to classify the English vowels?The criteria used to classify English vowels are:The height of the tongue raising: high, mid, and lowThe position of the highest part of the tongue: front, central, and back The degree of lip rounding: rounded, un-rounded The degree of tenseness/the length of sound: tense (long) or lax (short) The change of sound quality: pure(monophthong), gliding(diphthong)7.How do phonetics and phonology differ in their focus of study? . Phonetics is of a general nature; it is interested in all the speech sounds used in all human languages: how they are produced, how they differ from each other, what phonetic features they possess, how they can be classified, etc.Phonology, on the other hand, aims to discover how speech sounds in a language from patterns and how these sounds are used to convey meaning in linguistic communication.8.What is a phone? How is it different from a phoneme? How are allophones related to the phoneme?A phone is a phonetic unit or segment. The speech soundswe hear and produce during linguistic communication are all phones.A phoneme is a phonological unit; it is a unit that is of distinctive value. It is an abstract unit. It is not any particular sound, but rather it is represented or realized by a certain phone in a certain phonetic context. The different phones which can represent a phoneme in different phoneticenvironments are called the allophones of that phoneme.。
英语语言学试题2及答案
英语语言学试题2及答案一、选择题（每题2分，共20分）1. The word "phenomenon" is derived from which language?A. LatinB. GreekC. GermanD. French答案：B2. Which of the following is not a branch of linguistics?A. PhoneticsB. LexicologyC. AstronomyD. Syntax答案：C3. The study of language change over time is known as:A. Historical LinguisticsB. SociolinguisticsC. PsycholinguisticsD. Neurolinguistics答案：A4. What is the term for the smallest unit of sound in a language?A. PhonemeB. MorphemeC. Syllable答案：A5. The process of using one language to explain another is called:A. TranslationB. InterpretationC. ParaphrasingD. Transliteration答案：A6. Which of the following is an example of a sociolect?A. Medical languageB. Legal languageC. Teenage slangD. All of the above答案：D7. The study of language in relation to the brain is known as:A. PsycholinguisticsB. NeurolinguisticsC. SociolinguisticsD. Computational Linguistics答案：B8. What is the term for the use of language to achieve a particular purpose?A. PragmaticsB. SemanticsC. SyntaxD. Phonology9. The study of the meaning of words is called:A. SemanticsB. PragmaticsC. SyntaxD. Phonology答案：A10. Which of the following is not a component of a language's phonological system?A. PhonemesB. MorphemesC. SyllablesD. Tones答案：B二、填空题（每题1分，共10分）1. The study of language in its social context is known as________.答案：Sociolinguistics2. The smallest unit of meaning in a language is called a________.答案：Morpheme3. The branch of linguistics that deals with the structure of sentences is ________.答案：Syntax4. A dialect is a variety of a language that is characterizedby features of ________, grammar, and vocabulary.答案：Phonology5. The process of acquiring a first language is known as________.答案：Language acquisition6. The study of the relationship between language and thought is called ________.答案：Linguistic relativity7. The branch of linguistics that deals with the history of words and their meanings is ________.答案：Etymology8. A language family is a group of languages that are related through ________.答案：Common ancestry9. The process of analyzing the structure of words is known as ________.答案：Morphology10. The study of language in relation to culture is known as ________.答案：Anthropological linguistics三、简答题（每题5分，共20分）1. Explain the difference between a dialect and a language. 答案：A dialect is a variety of a language that is spoken by a particular group within a larger language community, whilea language is a system of communication that is used by a community of people. Dialects can be mutually intelligible, meaning speakers of different dialects can understand each other, whereas languages are not necessarily mutually intelligible.2. What is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and how does it relate to language and thought?答案：The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, also known as linguistic relativity, suggests that the structure of a language affects its speakers' cognition and perception. It posits that different languages structure the world in different ways, leading to different thought processes and perceptions of reality.3. Describe the role of phonetics in linguistics.答案：Phonetics is the study of the physical properties of speech sounds, or phones. It is a branch of linguistics that focuses on the production, transmission, and perception of speech sounds. Phonetics provides the foundation for understanding the sounds of a language and is crucial for the study of phonology, which is the study of the sound system of a language.4. How does sociolinguistics contribute to our understanding of language?答案：Sociolinguistics is the study of the relationship between language and society. It explores how social factors such as age, gender, social class, ethnicity, and geographical location affect the way language is used. Sociolinguistics helps us understand language variation andchange, and it provides insights into the social meanings and functions of language.。
语言学练习题--Chapter-2-Linguistics
Chapter Two Linguistics1. Define the following terms.1)syntagmatic relation vs paradigmatic relation2)langue vs parole3)competence vs performance4)descriptive linguistics vs historical linguistics5)theoretical linguistics vs applied linguistics6)deccriptive linguistics vs prescriptive linguistics7)synchronic vs diachronic linguistics8)macrolinguistics vs microlinguistics9)Comparative historical linguistics vs contrastive linguistics2. Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).1)( ) Prescriptive linguistics is more popular than descriptive linguisticsbecause it can tell us how to speak correct language.2)( ) C ompetencce and performance refer respectively to a language user’sunderlying knowledge about the system of rules and the actual use of language in concrete situations.3)( ) The antithesis of langue and parole was created by Chomsky.4)( ) Cockoo in English is onomatopoeia.5)( ) Synchronic linguistics is concerned with the study of languagedevelopment through time.6)( ) Prescriptive linguists are concerned with how languages work, not withhow they can be improved.7)( ) Linguistics tries to answer the basic questions” what is a language”and “How does a language work”.8)( ) Onomatopoetic words are found in almost all human languages, which showsthe arbitrary nature of languages.9)( ) Each language contains two systems rather than one, a system of soundand a system of meaning.10)( ) Cultural transmission refers to the fact that the details of thelinguistic system must be learned a new by each speaker.11)( ) Phatic function refers to language used to exchange information andideas.12)( ) Speakers of all languages are capable of producing and comprehendingan infinite set of sentences, which accounts for syntactic universality.13)( ) Hall iday’s linguistic potential is similar to the notions of paroleand performance14)( ) By diachronie study we mean to study the changes and development oflanguage.15)( ) Langue is relatively stable and systematic while parole is subject topersonal and situational constraints.16)( ) In language classrooms nowadavs the grammar taught to students isbasically descriptive, and more attention is paid to the developing learners ‘ communicative skills.17)( ) Saussure’s exposition of synchronic analysis led to the school ofhistorical linguistics18)( ) Applied linguistics is the application of linguistic principles andtheories to language teaching and learning.19)( ) Semantics is the study of the meaning of words and sentences.20)( ) A diachronic study is concerned with the historical development of alanguage over a period of time.21)( ) A paradigmatic relation is a relation between a linguistic element inan utterance and linguistic elements outside that utterance, but belongingto the same sub-system of the language.22)( ) General linguistics aims at developing a theory that describes the rulesof a particular language.23)( ) English linguistics is a kind of descriptive linguistics.24)( ) Competence is more concrete than performance.25)( ) Descriptive linguistics attempts to establish a theory which accountsfor the rules of language in general.26)( ) Langue is more abstract than parole and therefore is not directlyobservable.27)( ) General linguistics deals with the whole human language.28)( ) All the English words are not symbolic.29)( ) All sounds produced by human speech organs are linguistic symbols.30)( ) Descriptive linguistics studies one specific language.31)( ) Morphological knowledge is a native speaker’s intuition about how asentence is formed.32)( ) Phonetics is the science that deals with the sound system.33)( ) A diachronic study of a language is concerned with a state of a languageat a particular point of time.3. Multiple Choice1) ______ made the distinction between competence and performance.A. SaussureB. Chomsky C Bloomfiled D. Sapir2) Findings in linguistic studies can often be applied to the solution of somepractical problems, the study of such applications is knowns as ________.A. anthropological linguisticsB. computational linguisticsC. applied linguisticsD. mathematical linguistics3) _______ refers to the abstract linguistic system shared by all the membersof speech community.A. ParoleB. langue C speech D. writing4) Which of the following is not the major brach of linguisticsA. phonologyB. pragmaticsC. syntax D speech5) ________ deals with language application to other fields, particularly education.A. Linguistic geographyB. SociolinguisticsC. Applied linguisticsD. Comparative linguistics6) Which branch of linguistics studies the similarities and differences amonglanguagesA. Diachronic linguistics.B. Synchronic linguistics.C. Prescriptive linguistics.D. Comparative linguistics.7） ________ has been widely accepted as the forefather of modern linguistics.A. ChomskyB. SaussureC. BloomfieldD. John Lyons8) The study of language as a whole is often called ---.A. general linguisticsB. sociolingyusticsC. psycholinguisticsD. applied linguistics9) The study of language meaning is called--.A. syntaxB. semantics C morphology D. pragmatics10) The description of a language at some point in time is a – study.A synchronic B. diachronic C descriptive D. prescriptive4. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words:1) refers to the abstract linguistic system shared by all the members ofa speech community.2) is the actual realization of one’s linguistic knowledge inutterances.3) Modem linguistic is in the sense that the linguist tries to discover whatlanguage is rather than lay down some rules for people to observe.4) The description of a language as it changes through time is a study.5) Saussure put forward two important concepts, refers to the abstractlinguistic system shared by all members of a speech community.6) Linguistic potential is similar to Saussure’ s langue and Chomsky’ s .7) The four principles in the linguistic study are (1) (2)(3) (4)8) Morphology is the branch of linguistics which studies the form of words.9) The branch of general linguistics which is named studies the internalstructure of sentences.10) In Saussure’s view, the relationship between signifier (sound image) andsignified (concept) is .11) is an umbrella term which covers a variety of different interestsin language and society, including the social functions of language and thesocial characteristics of its users.12) The distinction between langue and parole is made by the Swiss linguist F.de Saussure. The distinction between competence and performance is made bythe American linguist .13) The writing English is. known as the sound writing system while that ofJapanese as ___writing system.14) According to John Lyons, ___ linguistics_ deals with language in generaland _ linguistics is concerned with one particular language.15) In de Saussure’s term, _____ refers to the system of language and _____refers to the speaker’s speech.16) _____ is the science that deals with the sound system.17) Syntax studies two kinds of rules: _____ rules and rules18) Langue or competence is ______ and not directly observed, while parole orperformance is _____ and directly observable.19) A ________ relation refers to the sequential characteristic of speech.20) ___ ___ knowledge is a native speaker’s intuition about the sounds and soundpatterns of his language.21) ______ knowledge is a native speaker’s intuition about how a word is formed.22) ______ knowledge is a native speaker’s intuition about whether a sentenceis grammatical or not.23) ______ knowledge is a native speaker’s intuition about the meaning oflanguage, including meaning of words and meaning of sentences.24) ______ is the study of speech sounds of all human languages.25) ______ examines word formation and the internal structure of words.5. Answer the following questions.1) What is the difference between general linguistics and descriptive linguistics2) What is the difference between synchronic and diachronic linguistics Is iteasy to draw a sharp line between them if we look at language closely3) What distinguish prescriptive studies of language from descriptive studiesof language Comment on the merits and weaknesses of descriptive grammar and prescriptive grammar.4) What are the four principles for the scientific analysis of language5) Point out three ways in which linguistics differs from traditional grammar.6) What are the main differences between “competence” and “performance”7) What is the major difference between Saussure’s distinction of langue andparole and Chomsky’s distinction of competence and performance what should be studies in linguistics in your opinion and why8) Explain “speech and writing”, and cite two ormore examples.Key to Chapter Two1. Define the following terms.1）syntagmatic relation vs paradigmatic relationEssentially the relations between linguistic elements are of two dimensions, usually syntagmatic and paradigmatic. syntagmatic or sequential relations are those holding between elements forming serial structure, or “strings’ as they are sometimes called. In syntax, the horizontal relationship between elements shows how a form (X) combines with others (W + X + Y) in a serial combination.It refers to the linear ordering of the words and the phrases within a sentence.Paradigmatic relations are those holding between comparable elements at particular places in structures. The vertical or substitutional relationship shows how other different forms (Xa, Xb, Xc) can function in the same place in structure in a paradigmatic relation.2) langue vs paroleSaussure refers “langue” to the abstract linguistic system shared by all the members of a speech community and refers” parole” to the actual or actualized language, or the realization of langue. Langue is abstract, parole specific to the speaking situation; langue not actually spoken by an individual, parole always a naturally occurring event; langue relatively stable and systematic, parole subject to personal and situational constraints. For Saussure, parole is a mass of confused facts, thus not suitable for systematic investigation. What a linguist ought to do, according to Saussure, is to abstract langue from instances of parole, ., to discover the regularities governing all instances of parole andmake them the subject of linguistics. The langue-parole distinction is of great importance, which casts great influence on laterlinguists.3) competence vs performance(1)According to N. Chomsky, “competence” is the ideal language user’s knowledge of the rules of his language, and “performance” is the arctual realization of this knowledge in utterances. The former enables a speaker to produce and understand an indefinite number of sentences and to recognize grammatical mistakes and ambiguities. A speaker’s competence is stable while his performance is often influenced by psychological and social factors. So a speaker’s performance does not always match or equal his supposed competence.(2)Chomsky believes that linguists ought to study competence, rather than performance. In other words, they should discover what an ideal speaker knows of his native language.(3) Chomsky’s competence-performance distinction is not exactly the same as, t hough similar to, F. de Saussure’s language parole distinction. Langue is a social product and a set of conventions for a community, while competence is deemed as a property of the mind of each individual. Saussure looks at language more from a sociological or sociolinguistic point of view than N. Chomsky since the latter deals with his issues psychologically or psycholinguistically.4) descriptive linguistics vs historical linguisticsLinguistic study can be divided into descriptive linguistics (synchronic linguistic study) and historical linguistics (diachronic linguistic study). The former refers to the description of a language at a particular point of time in history while the latter, a diachronic study of language, studies the historical development of language over a period of time.5) theoretical linguistics vs applied linguisticsA third dichotomy is that which holds between theoretical and applied linguistics. The former copes with language and languages with a view toestablishing a theory of their structure and functions and without regard to any practical applications that the investigation of language and languages might have, whereas the latter is chiefly concerned with the application of the concepts and findings of linguistics to all sorts of practical tasks, including language teaching.6) deccriptive linguistics vs prescriptive linguisticsA linguistic study is descriptive if it only describes and analyzes the facts of language, and it is prescriptive if it tries to lay down rules for “correct” language behavior. Linguistic studies before 20th century were largely prescriptive because many early grammars were based on “high” (literary or religious) written records. Modem linguistics is mostly descriptive, however, which believes that whatever occurs in natural speech (hesitation, incomplete utterance, misunderstanding, etc.) should be described in the analysis, and not be marked as incorrect, abnormal, corrupt, or lousy. These, with changes inlvocabulary and structures, need to be explained distinction lies in prescribing how things ought to be and describing how things are. To say that linguistics is a descriptive science is to say that the linguist tries to discover and record the rules to which the members of a language-community actually conform and does not seek to impose upon them other rules, or norms, of correctness, which are in the scope of prescriptive linguistics.7) synchronic vs diachronic linguisticsSynchronic linguistics takes a fixed instant (usually, but not necessarily, the present) as its point of observation. In contrast, diachronie linguistics is the study of a language through the Course of itshistory; therefore, it is also called historical linguistics.The description of a languageat some point of time (as if it stopped developing) is a synchronic study (synchrony). The description of a languageas it changes through timeis a diachronic study (diachrony). An essay entitled” On the Use of THE”, for example, may be synchronic, if the author does not recall the past of THE, and it may also be diachronic if he claims to cover a large range or period of time wherein THE has undergone tremendous alteration.8) macrolinguistics vs microlinguisticsMacrolinguistics falls on the verge of linguistics. It includes the following disciplines: philosophical linguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, etc. Lyons has the same distinction.Microlinguistics concentrates on the study of all the interior aspects ofa language system. Traditional linguistic study describes language system fromtwo aspects —lexicon and grammar. Dictionaries and grammar books are products of such researches and studies.9）Comparative historical linguistics vs contrastive linguisticsComparative historical linguistics draws on the special historical comparison in linguistics to study the historical development of some related languages (languages originating from a uniform ancestry). It is in fact a special part of historical linguistics. Thanks to the development of historical comparative linguistics in 19th century, linguistics comes to be an independent discipline. Contrastive linguistics focuses on structural similarities and differences of two or more languages (relevant or unrelated) by means of comparison and contrastive study. This study belongs to descriptive linguistics. It can help people have a deep understanding of the properties and universal characteristics of different languages and thus exerts great influence on foreign language teaching.2. Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).1)(F) Prescriptive linguistics is more popular than descriptivelinguistics because it can tell us how to speak correct language.2)(T) Competencce and performance refer respectively to a languageuser’s underlying knowledge ab out the system of rules and the actualuse of language in concrete situations.3)(F) The antithesis of langue and parole was created by Chomsky. (中国矿业大学，2004)4)(T) Cockoo in English is onomatopoeia. (中国矿业大学，2004)5)(F) Synchronic linguistics is concerned with the study of languagedevelopment through time. (中国矿业大学，2004)6)(T) Prescriptive linguists are concerned with how languages work, notwith how they can be improved. (中国矿业大学，2004)7)(T) Linguistics tries to answer the basic questions” what is alanguage” and “How does a language work”. （南京师范大学，2002）8)(F) Onomatopoetic words are found in almost all human languages, whichshows the arbitrary nature of languages. （中国矿业大学，2002）9)(T) Each language contains two systems rather than one, a system of soundand a system of meaning. （中国矿业大学，2002）10)(T) Cultural transmission refers to the fact that the details of thelinguistic system must be learned a new by each speaker. （中国矿业大学，2002）11)(F) Phatic function refers to language used to exchange information andideas. （中国矿业大学，2002）12)(F) Speakers of all languages are capable of producing and comprehendingan infinite set of sentences, which accounts for syntactic universality.（中国矿业大学，2002）13)(F) Halliday’s linguistic potential is similar to the notions of paroleand performance14)(T) By diachronie study we mean to study the changes and developmentof language.15)(T) Langue is relatively stable and systematic while parole is subjectto personal and situational constraints.16)(T) In language classrooms nowadavs the grammar taught to students isbasically descriptive, and more attention is paid to the developing learners ‘ communicative skills.17)(F) Saussure’s exposition of synchronic analysis led to the school ofhistorical linguistics.18)(T) Applied linguistics is the application of linguistic principles andtheories to language teaching and learning.19)(F) Semantics is the study of the meaning of words and sentences.20)(T) A diachronic study is concerned with the historical developmentof a language over a period of time.21)(F) A paradigmatic relation is a relation between a linguistic elementin an utterance and linguistic elements outside that utterance, but belonging to the same sub-system of the language.22)(F) General linguistics aims at developing a theory that describesthe rules of a particular language.23)( T) English linguistics is a kind of descriptive linguistics.24)(F) Competence is more concrete than performance.25)(F) Descriptive linguistics attempts to establish a theory whichaccounts for the rules of language in general.26)(T) Langue is more abstract than parole and therefore is notdirectly observable.27)(T) General linguistics deals with the whole human language.28)(T) All the English words are not symbolic.29)(F) All sounds produced by human speech organs are linguistic symbols.30)(T) Descriptive linguistics studies one specific language.31)(F) Morphological knowledge is a native speaker’s intuition abouthow a sentence is formed.32)(F) Phonetics is the science that deals with the sound system.33)(F) A diachronic study of a language is concerned with a state ofa language at a particular point of time.3. Multiple choice1) – 5): BCBDC 6) – 10): DBABA4. Word completion1) Langue 2) Performance3) descriptive 4) diachronic5) langue 6) competence7) (1) consistency (2) economy (3) objectivity (4) exhaustiveness8) Morphology 9) syntax10) arbitrary 11) socialinguistics12) Chomsky 13) syllabic14) general, descriptive 15) langue, parole16) Phonology 17) phrase structure, transformational18) abstract; concrete 19) syntagmatic20) Phonological 21) Morphological22) Syntactic 23) Semantic24) Phonetics 25) Morphology5. Answer the following questions.1) What is thedifference between general linguistics and descriptive linguisticsThe former deals with language in general, . the whole human language whereas the latter is concerned with one particular language. The former aims at developing a theory that describes the rules of human language in general while the latter attempts to establish a model that describes the rules of one particular language, such as Chinese, English, French, etc. General Linguistics and descriptive linguistics are dependent on each other. In the first place, general linguistics provides descriptive linguistics with a general framework in which any particular language can be described, studied and analyzed. Very often, it may supply several different frameworks for descriptive linguists to choose from. Depending on their different views on language, they may follow one model exclusively or combine two or more models. In the second, the resulting descriptions of particular languages, in turn, supply empirical evidence which may confirm or refute the model(s) put forward by general linguistics. In other words, general linguistics and descriptive linguistics are complementary to each other despite their different objects of study and different goals.2) What is the difference between diachronic linguistics Is it easy to drawa sharp line between them if we look at language closely(1) Synchronic linguistics takes a fixed instant (usually, but notnecessarily, the present) as its point of observation. In contrast, diachronie linguistics is the study of a language through the Course of itshistory;therefore, it is also called historical linguistics.(2) Synchronic/diachronic perspective toward language is one of Saussure’smost central ideas expressed in the form of pairs of Concepts. The former sees languageas a living whole; existing as a “‘state” at a particular moment in time; the latter sees it as a continually changing medium. In this view, it is always necessary to carry out some degree of synchronic work before making a diachronic study: before we can say how a language has changed from state X to state Y, we need to about X and Y. Correspondingly, a synchronic analysis can be made without referring to history. This can be illustrated as Sanssure did using an analogy with a game of chess. A state of the set of chessmen is like a state of language. “The respective value of the pieces depends on their position on the chessboard just as each linguistic term derives its value from its opposition to all the other terms.” On the o ther hand, the value of each piece also;depends on the convention--the set of rules that exists before the game begins. This is like the set of rules that exists in language. A state of the game of chess is momentary just like a state of language change. When one piece is moved, the game passes from one state of equilibrium to the next. This corresponds closely to the situation of language between states. To study this static state is called synchronic linguistics. The moving of one piece is like one type of change in language. The consequence of one move can be very big or small; the same is true with language changes. The player of a chess game is solely concerned with the momentary positions of the pieces; he does not need to remember the previous moves so as to decide the next move. A player who knows the history of the game does not necessarily have more to say about the next move than a man who has just come to the game, ignorant of what has happened before. Similarly, a speaker of a language can learn the languagewell without knowing its historical statesl We can describe a state of a game without bothering the techniques both players have used to bring about the state. Likewise, we can describe the state of a language without knowing its history,3) What distinguish prescriptive studies of language from descriptive studiesof language Comment on the merits and weaknesses of descriptive grammar and prescriptive grammar.(1) The distinction lies in prescribing how things ought to be and describing how things actually are. The essence of prescriptivism is the notion that one variety of languages has an inherently higher value than others, and that this ought to be imposed on the whole of the speech community. Although prescriptivismis still with :us, descriptivism wins more and more understanding. It proposes that the task of the grammarian is to describe, not prescribe——to record the facts of. linguistic diversity, and not to attempt the impossible tasks of being language police and trying to. stop language from changing, or imposing on members of a language community the so-called norms of correctness.(2) Weakness of prescriptive grammar (Merits of descriptive grammar). ①The reason why present-day linguists are so insistent about the distinction between the two is simply that traditional grammar was very strongly normativein character, . “you should never use a double-negative”;“you should not split the infinitive” etc. People realize nowadays the facts of usage count more than the authority, stipulated “standards!’. We can appeal neither to logic nor to Latin granunar when it comes to deciding whether something is oris not correct in English. ② Prescriptivism is an individual attitude. The related social attitude that goes to the extreme of prescriptivism is purism, which is something we should guard against. Pure prescriptive grammar will leadto artificial claims that are hard to maintain in light of the facts. While prescriptivists would prefer the use of the past subjunctive after if (If I were you, etc.), it is very difficult to claim that everyone who uses “was” is wrong, especially are the majority in spoken language. While there are still traditionalist grammarians claiming that they are right and half the populationis wrong, most have modified their approach and talk of this form as preferable, or describe it as formal register. ③ The prescriptive attitude seems to ignore the fact that English has evolved over the centuries into what it is today whereas the descriptive attitude seems to be more sensitive to anything that goes on to a certain extent. A language is a living creature. There is no fixed form for any language. No one speaks Shakespearean medieval English today. However, no one says the British today speaks the incorrect English. It will and should change over time.4) What are the four principles for the scientific analysis of languageThe four principles to make a scientific study of language are exhaustiveness, consistency, economy, and objectivity.(1) Exhaustiveness: the linguist should gather all the materials relevant to his investigation and give them an adequate explanation. Language is extremely complex; he cannot attempt to describe all aspects of language at once, but to examine one aspect at a time.(2) Consistency: there should be no contradiction between different parts of the total statement.(3) Economy: other things being equal, a shorter statement or analysis is preferred to a longer or more involved one. The best statements are the shortest possible, which can account most fully for all facts.(4) Objectivity: a linguist should be as objective as possible in his description and analysis’of data, allowing no prejudice to influence his generalizations. He should not omit any linguistic facts because he himself considers there to be “inelegant” or “substandard”. Nor should he conceal facts that do not conform to his generalizations. His aim should be to present his analysis in such a way that every part of it can be tested and verified; not only by himself, but by anyone else who makes a description of different。
Linguistics2语言学练习及答案
Quiz of Lin guisticsI. Decide whether each of the following statements is True or False.1. Phon etics is differe nt from phono logy in that the latter studies the comb in ati ons of the sounds to convey meaning in com muni cati on. ( T )2. Voici ng is a phono logical feature that disti nguishes meaning inboth Chin ese and En glish. ( T )3. A pho ne is a pho netic un it that disti nguishes meaning. ( F )4. En glish is a tone Ian guage while Chin ese is not. ( F )5. Of all the speech orga ns, the lips are the most flexible. ( F )6. A pho neme can be represe nted by differe nt phones in specific phon etic con texts.(T )7. The four sounds /p/,/b/,/m/ and /w/ have one feature in com mon, i.e, they are all bilabial. ( F )8. When pitch, stress and sound len gth are tied to the sentence rather tha n the word in isolati on, they are collectively known as inton ati on. ( T )9. In terms of the place of articulation, the following sounds [t][d][s][z][n] share the feature of palatal. ( T )10. In such sound comb in ati ons as /bi:p/, /geip/ and /su:p/, the voiceless stop /p/, occurri ng in the final positi on, is un aspirated,i.e. pronoun ced with the stro ng puff of air withheld to some exte nt. ( F )11. Multiple Choice Items1. Articulatory pho netics main ly studies BD__.A. the physical properties of the sounds produced in speechB. the percepti on of soundsC. the comb in ati on of soundsD. the product ion of sounds2. The disti nction betwee n vowels and consonants lies in _B __A. the place of articulatio nB. the obstructi on of airstreamC. the positi on of the ton gueD. the shape of the lips3. What is the com mon factor of the three soun ds: p, k, t? AA. voicelessB. spreadC. voicedD. n asal4. What phonetic feature distinguishes the /p/ in please” and the /p/ in “peak” BA. voici ngB. aspiratio nC. roundn essD. n asality5. Which of the followi ng is not a disti nctive feature in En glish? CA. voici ngB. n asalC. approximatio nD. aspirati on6. The phono logical features of the consonant /k/ are _ _.A. voiced stopB. voiceless stopC. voiced fricativeD. voiceless fricative7. /p/ is differe nt from /k/ in _____ B_.A. the manner of articulatio nB. the shape of the lipsC. the vibrati on of the vocal cordsD. the place of articulati on8. Vibrati on of the vocal cords results in D .A. aspirati onB. n asalityC. Obstructio nD. Voici ng9. Of the three bran ches of pho netics, the Ion gest established, andun til rece ntly the most highly developed, is __ D__ phon etics.B. acousticC. articulatoryD. none of the above three10. I n terms of the place of articulatio n, the followi ng sounds [t][d][s][z] [n] share the feature of A .A. palatalB. alveolarC. bilabialD. dentalIII. Term Explanation1. pho neme A phoneme is a phonological unit; it is a unit that is of distinctive value.2. alloph one The different phones which can represent a phoneme in different phonetic environments are called the allophone.3. phono logy Phonology aims to discover how speechsounds in a language form patterns and how these soundsare used to convey meaning in linguistic communication.4. phonetic Phonetic is a general nature; it is interested in all the speech sounds used in all human languages.5. Supersegme ntal Features The phonemic features that occur above the level of the segments are called super segmental features.IV. Short-answer Questions1. Compare and con trast phon etics and phono logyBoth are concerned with the same aspect of langua—ethe speech sound. But while both are related to the study of sounds, theydiffer in their approach and focus. Phonetic is a generl nature; it is interested in all the speech sounds used in all human languages. Phonology aims to discover how speech sounds in a language form patterns and how these soundsare used to convey meaning in linguistic communication.2. What is a phone? How is it different from a phoneme? How are allophones related toa phon eme?A phone is a phonetic unit or segment. The speech sounds we hear and produce during linguistic communication are all phone.A phoneme is a phonological unit; it is a unit that is of distinctive value. It is an abstract unit. It is not any particular sounds, but rather it is presented or realized by a certain phone in a certain phonetic context.The different phones which can represent a phoneme in different phonetic environment are called the allophones of that phoneme.。
linguistics exercise 2
Chapter oneI.选择题1.The famous quotation from Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet “A rose by anyother name would smell as sweet”” well illustrates_____.A.the arbitrary nature of languageB.the creative nature of languageC.the universality of languageD.the big difference between human language and animal communication2.The fact that different languages have different words for the same object is goodproof that human language is_____.A.ArbitraryB.Non-arbitraryC.LogicalD.Non-productive3.Linguistics is the scientific study of _____.A.A particular languageB.The English languageC.Human languages in generalD.The system of a particular language4.Chomsky uses the term ____ to refer to the actual realization of a language user’sknowledge of the rules of his language in linguistics communication.ngueB.ParolepetenceD.Performance5.The description of a language as it changes through time is a ____ study.parativeB.DiachronicC.Up-to-dateD.DescriptiveII.填空题1.In the course of time, the study of language has come to establish close links withother branches of s__ studies, such as sociology and psychology.nguage exists in time and changes through time. The description of a languageat some point of time is called a s___ study of language.3.As the first step of their scientific investigation of language, linguists have toobserve and collect linguistic f___ before they can do anything else.4.If a linguistic study describes and analyzes the language people actually use, it issaid to be d___.III.判断题1.In the history of any language, the writing system always came into being beforethe spoken form.2.Human capacity for language has a genetic basis, i.e. we are all born with theability to acquire language and the details of a language system are genetically transmitted.3.An important difference between traditional grammarians and modern linguists intheir study of language is that the former tended to over-emphasize the written form of language and encourage people to imitate the “best authors” for language use.4.The writing system of a language is always a later invention used to record speech;thus there are still many languages in today’s world that can only be spoken, but not written.5.Modern linguistics is mainly diachronic.。
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Quiz of LinguisticsI. Decide whether each of the following statements is True or False.1. Linguistics is generally defined as the scientific study of language. ( T)2. Linguistics studies particular language, not language in general. ( F)3. A scientific study of language is based on what the linguist thinks. ( F )4. In the study of linguistics, hypotheses formed should be based on language facts and checked against the observed facts. ( T )5. General linguistics is generally the study of language as a whole. ( T)6. General linguistics, which relates itself to the research of other areas, studies the basic concepts, theories, descriptions, models and methods applicable in any linguistics study. ( F)7. Modern linguistics is mostly prescriptive, but sometimes descriptive. ( F )8. Modern linguistics is different from traditional grammar. ( T)9. A diachronic study of language is the description of language at some point in time.( F ) 10. The distinction between competence and performance was proposed by Saussure.( F) II. Fill in each of the following blanks with one word which begins with the letter given.1. Chomsky defines “competence”as the ideal user’s k nowledge of the rules of his language.2. Langue refers to the a bstract linguistic system shared by all the members of a speech community while the parole is the concrete use of the conventions and application of the rules.3. D uality is one of the desing features of human language which refers to the phenomenon that language consists of two levels: a lower level of meaningless individual sounds and a higher level of meaningful units.4. Language is a system of a rbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication.5. P arole refers to the realization of langue in actual use.6. Findings in linguistic studies can often be applied to the settlement of some practical problems. The study of such application is generally known as a pplied linguistics.7. Language is p roductive in that it makes possible the construction and interpretation of new signals by its users. In other words, they can produce and understand an infinitely large number of sentences which they have never heard before.8. Linguistics is generally defined as the s cientific study of language.9. If a linguistic study describes and analyzes the language people actually use, it is said to be d escriptive.10. Modern linguistics regards the written language as s econdary .III. There are four choices following each statement. Mark the choice that can best complete the statement.1. Which of the following is not a design feature of human language? DA. aribitrarinessB. displacementC. dualityD. Meaningfulness2. In modern linguistics, speech is regarded as more basic than writing, because__D____.A. in linguistic evolution, speech is prior to writingB. speech plays a greater role than writing in terms of the amount of information conveyedC. speech is always the way in which every native speaker acquires his mother tongueD. all of the above.3. A historical study of language is a ___B_____ study of language.A. synchronicB. diachronicC. prescriptiveD. comparative4. Sausure took a(n) ___A_____ view of language, while Chomsky looks at language from a ______ point of view.A. sociological, psychologicalB. psychological, sociologicalC. applied, pragmaticD. semantic, linguistic5. According to Saussure, ___C___ refers to the abstract linguistic system shared by all the members of a speech community.A. paroleB. performanceC. langueD. language6. Language is said to be arbitrary because there is no logical connection between ___B____ and meaning.A. senseB. soundsC. objectsD. ideas7. Language can be used to refer to contexts removed from the immediate situations of the speaker. This feature is called___A____.A. displacementB. dualityC. flexibilityD. cultural transmission8. The details of any language system is passed on from one generation to the next through ___D____rather than by instinct.A. learningB. teachingC. booksD. both A and B9. Which of the following words is not motivated?CA. bangB. blackboardC. penD. meow10. What is the function of the sentence: “Hi! How are you this moring?” DA. emotive functionB. conative functionC. poetic functionD. phatic functionIV. Terms explanation1.Linguistics is generally defined as the scientific study of language.nguage is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication。
3.Arbitrariness: Language is arbitrariness. This means that there is no logical connection between meanings and sounds.4. Productivity: Language is productive or creative in that it makes possible theconstruction and interpretation of new signals by its users.5. Displacement: Language can be used to refer to things which are present or not present, real or imagined matters in the past, present, or future, or in far away places. In other words, language can be used to refer to contexts removed from the immediate situation of the speaker.6. Langue refers to the abstract linguistic system shared by all the members of a speech community; langue is the set of conventions and rules which language users all have to abide by; langue is abstract; it is not the language people actually use; langue is relatively stable, it does not change frequently.7. Parole refers to the realization of langue in actual use; parole is the concrete use of the conventions and the application of the rules; parole is concrete; it refers to the naturally occurring language events; parole varies from person to person, and from situation to situation.8. Competence: Chomsky defines competence as the ideal users' knowledge of the rules of his language.9.Performance is the actual realization of this knowledge in linguistic communication.10. Duality: Language is a system, which consists of two sets of structure, or two levels. At the lower or the basic level there is a structure of sounds, which are meaningless by themselves. At the higher level of system there is a structure of meanings.。