Chapter One Exercise 2.docVIP

Chapter One Exercise 2 I. Fill in the blanks. 1. Language has many functions. We can use language to talk about itself. This function is _____. 2. Modern linguistic is _____ in the sense that the linguist tries to discover what language is rather than lay down some rules for people to observe. 3.The description of a language as it changes through time is a _____ study. 4. Saussure put forward two important concepts. _____ refers to the abstract linguistic system shared by all members of a speech community. 5. Linguistic potential is similar to Saussures langue and Chomskys _____. 6. Chomsky defines “competence” as the ideal user’s _____of the rules of his language. 7. The discipline that studies the rules governing the formation of words into permissible sentences in languages is called ________. 8. _________refers to a language user’s underlying knowledge about the system of rules. 9. In Saussure’s view, language is a system of signs, each of which consists of two parts: ________ and _________ 10. The description of a language by taking a fixed instant as its point of observation is a ______ study. II. Choose the best answer. 1. A linguist regards the changes in language and languages use as _____. A. unnatural B. something to be feared C. natural D. abnormal 2. _____ is a grammatical description of a language specially designed as an aid to teaching that language to native or foreign learners. A. Descriptive grammar B. Prescriptive grammar C. Pedagogical grammar D. Universal grammar 3. In Chinese when someone breaks a bowl or a plate the host or the people present are likely to say sui sui ping an (every year be safe and happy) as a means of controlling the forces which the believers feel might affect their lives. Which functions does it perform? A. Interpersonal. B. Emotive. C. Performative. D. Recreational. 4. The function of the sentence Water