1.3 Design features of language
Design features: the features that define our human languages. They
make our language advantageous over animal “languages”.
1.3.1 Arbitrariness
The forms of linguistic signs bear no natural relationship to
their meaning. (Saussure)
(1) Arbitrary relationship between the sound of a morpheme and
its meaning
(2) At the syntactic level
(3) Arbitrariness and convention
1.3.2 Duality
“ By duality is meant the property of having two levels of structures,
such that units of the primary level are composed of elements of
the secondary level and each of the two levels has its own
principles of organization” (Lyon, 1982:20).
Advantage: A large number of different units can be formed our of a
small number of elements.
1.3.3 Creativity
Language can produce sentence that has never been
heard. Language is resourceful because of its duality and
recursiveness.
1.3.4 Displacement
Human languages enable their users to symbolize
objects, events and concepts which are not present ( in
time and space) at the moment of communication.
Other design features
Cultural transmission
Language is passed down from generation to generation. Human
being must be exposed to language environment.
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Interchangeability
Any human being can be both a producer and receiver of the
message.
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1.4 Origin of language
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The bow-wow theory
The pooh-pooh theory
The “yo-he-ho” theory
1.5
Functions of language
1.5.1 Informative
1.5.2 Interpersonal function
1.5.3 Performative
1.5.4 Emotive function
1.5.5 Phatic communion
1.5.6 Recreational function
1.5.7 Metalingual function
1.6 What is linguistics?
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Linguistics is the scientific study of language.
1.7 Main branches of linguistics
1.7.1 Phonetics
Phonetics is the subfield of linguistics that studies speech sounds in
human language.
Major domains: Articulatory phonetics, Acoustic phonetics, Auditory
phonetics
1.7.2 Phonology
-Phonology is the subfield of linguistics that studies the sound pattern
of a language. -It deals with the rules governing the structure,
distribution and sequencing of speech sounds and the shape of
syllables.
-Phonetics vs. Phonology
Phonetics is the study of speech sounds that the human voice is
capable of creating whereas phonology is the study of a subset of
those sounds that constitute language and meaning. The first focus
on chaos while the second focuses on order.
1.7.3 Morphology
Morphology is the subfield of linguistics that studies the internal
structure of words and the relationships among words.
1.7.4 Syntax
Syntax is the subfield of linguistics that studies the internal
structure of sentences and the relationships among the internal
parts.
1.7.5 Semantics
Semantics is the subfield of linguistics that studies the nature of
the meaning of individual words, and the meaning of words
grouped into phrases and sentences.
1.7.6 Pragmatics
Pragmatics is the subfield of linguistics that studies the use of
words, phrases and sentences in the actual context of discourse.
1.8 Macrolinguistics
1.8.1 Psycholinguistics
Psycholinguistics studies the relationship between language and
mind.
It also studies language development in the child, biological
foundations of language and the relationship between language
and cognition.
1.8.2 Sociolinguistics
Sociolinguistics is the study of characteristics of language
varieties, the characteristics of their functions, and the
characteristics of their speakers.
1.8.3 Anthropological linguistics
Anthropological linguistics is the study of the history and
structure of formerly unwritten languages. They are concerned with
the emergence and divergence of languages over thousands of
years.
1.8.4 Computational linguistics
Computational linguistics is an interdisciplinary field which
centers around the use of computers to process or produce human
language.
1.9 Important distinctions in linguistics
1.9.1 Descriptive vs. prescriptive
-Descriptive (non-normative): to describe what people say. “… 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.” (Lyon,
1982:47)
-Prescriptive: to prescribe how people should say. In the 18th century,
the grammarians tried to lay down rules for the correct use of
language and settle the disputes over usage once and for all.
1.9.2 Synchronic vs. diachronic
-Synchronic linguistics is the study of a given language at a
given period of time. E.g. “A Grammar of Modern Greek”
-Diachronic linguistics is the study of the changes the
language has experienced.
1.9.3 Langue & parole (Saussure)
-Langue is the abstract linguistic form or system shared by
all the members of a speech community. It is a social
product. It is a set of convention.
-Parole is the actual or actualized language. It is the
concrete use of the conventions or application of the rules.
1.9.4 Competence and performance (Chomsky)
-Competence refers to the ideal language speaker’s
underlying knowledge about the system of rules.
-Performance refers to the actual use of language by the
speaker in concrete situation.
1.9.5 Etic vs. Emic (Pike)
Questions and Exercises
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Do you think that onomatopoeia indicates a non-arbitrary relationship
between form and meaning?
Does the traffic light system have duality, why?
Communication can take many forms, such as sign, speech, body
language and facial expression. Do body language and facial expression
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share or lack the distinctive properties of human language?
Can you mention some typical expressions of phatic communion in
Chinese?