Chapter 1 Invitation to Lingustics.docVIP

Supplementary exercises?and reference keys Chapter 1 Invitations to Linguistics I. Definition of terms 1. linguistics: Linguistics is generally defined as the scientific study of language. 2. language: Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication. 3. arbitrariness: It is one of the design features of language. It means that there is no logical connection between meanings and sounds 4. creativity: Language is productive or creative in that it makes possible the construction and interpretation of new signals by its users. 5. displacement: Displacement means that language can be used to refer to things which are present or not present, real or imagined 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 situations of the speaker. 6. duality: The duality nature of language means that language is a system, which consists of two sets of structure, or two levels, one of sounds and the other of meanings. 7. design features: Design features refer to the quintessential characteristics of human language, which can distinguish any human language system from any non-human language system. They cover arbitrariness, duality, creativity, displacement, cultural transmission and interchangeability. 8. competence: Chomsky defines competence as the ideal users knowledge of the rules of his language. 9. performance: Performance is the actual realization of the knowledge of the rules in linguistic communication. 10. parole: 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 varies from person to person, and from situation to situation. 11. langue: 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 follow; Langue is relatively stable, it does