语言学 Chapter 1 introduction.docVIP

01 helen Chapter 1_intro Chapter One Invitations – A Survey of Linguistics What is linguistics? The scientific study of human language. 1. So what is Language? *linguistics is a Scientific study of language Languages in general: e.g. English, Chinese, Arabic, Latin, and etc.. 2. Definitions of Language Language “is not to be confused with human speech, of which it is only a definite part, though certainly an essential one. It is both a social product of the faculty of speech and a collection of necessary conventions that have been adopted by a social body to permit individuals to exercise that faculty”. --Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913): Course in General Linguistics (1916) “A language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols by means of which a social group co-operates.” --Bernard Bloch (1907-1965) George Trager (1906-1992): Outline of Linguistic Analysis (1942) “A language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols by means of which the members of a society interact in terms of their total culture.” --George Trager: The Field of Linguistics (1949) “Language is a form of human communication by means of a system of symbols principally transmitted by vocal sounds.” --Stuart C. Poole: An Introduction to Linguistics (1999) Human speech; The ability to communicate by this means; A system of vocal sounds and combinations of such sounds to which meaning is attributed, used for the expression or communication of thoughts and feelings The written representation of such a system. Any means of expressing or communicating, as gestures, signs, or animal sounds A special set of symbols, letters, numerals, rules etc. used for the transmission of information. – Webster抯 New World Dictionary i “Language is a means of verbal communication.” It is instrumental in that communicating by speaking or writing is a purposeful act. It is social and conventional in that language is a social semiotic and communication can only take place effectively if all the users