contrastive linguistics lecture 2.ppt

Lecture 2  Basic Concepts and Principles Are different languages comparable? If they are comparable in principle, what to compare? How to compare? 2.1 Comparability between languages A scientific Comparison: --A scientific comparison is, in general, based on a common base. What is language? A language is a system of human communication which consists of units like morphemes, words, sentences, and utterances. It is a system of symbols which combine sounds and meanings together. Phonology lexicology grammar Comparability—equivalence The similarity shared by the two linguistic units under comparison microlinguistic and macrolinguistic. 2.1.1 Comparability and Microlinguistic Considerations: Inner structure of language and comparability levels of language structure the language system phonological, lexical, syntactic categories. the pronoun system, the noun system, the preposition system, etc. E.g English---word order and function words Chinese prepositions VS English adverbs The comparability of the inner structure of languages Carl James (1980) : First, the categories of different languages identified by the same label often have something in common. Second, comparability does not request absolute identity, but merely a certain extent of shared similarity. e,g. (你—you) The similarity (interlingual identification) is the point of departure for CL, but identification is not meant to be identity. As for the differences, these are exactly what CL aims for. e.g. 2.1.2 Comparability and Macrolinguistic Considerations The varieties of a language ----the change of time, space and the social situations. varieties related with the user varieties related with the use. Varieties related with the user: temporal dialect, geographical dialect, social dialect, idiolect Varieties related with the use: field of discourse, mode of discourse, tenor of discourse Varieties related with the user geographical