新编简明英语语言学知识点汇总
1 Introduction
1.1 What is linguistics? Scientific study of language. Interpretation:
①try to answer the basic questions and probe into various
problems related to language;
②linguistics studies not any particular language but language
in general;
③scientific study because based on systematic investigation
of linguistic data.
1.1.2 The scope of linguistics
The study of language as a whole is often called general linguistic. phonetics phonology morphology Study the sounds used in linguistic study How sounds put together and convey meaning The way symbols representing sounds are arranged and combined to form words syntax semantics pragmatics Rules governing the combination of words The study of meaning Study the meaning in context Above are major or core branches of linguistics; Following are linguistics link with other disciplines. sociolinguistics psycholinguistics language and society How infant acquire mother tongue,process information……(language and brain) Applied linguistics Applied to the recovery of language,language acquisition
1.1.3 Some important distinctions in linguistics
prescriptive Aims to lay down rules for descriptive Describe and analyze the “correct & standard”;i.e.to language actually use(modern tell people what they should linguists believe that say or not whatever occurs in the language people use should be described and analyzed) synchronic diachronic The description of a language The description of a language at some point of time as it changes through time Modern linguistics are most synchronic: ①Difficult to describe the changes that have taken place in its historical development; ②Synchronic description are often thought of as being descriptions of a language in its current existence. speech Speech is prior to writing: ①writing system is always “invented”by the users to record writing the speech when the need arises; ②speech plays a greater role in terms of amount of conveying information; ③speech is always the way native speaker acquire their mother