语言学linguisitcs.ppt

Linguistics Coming… What is linguistics How to do linguistic research Types of linguistic research Linguistics is the scientific study of language ● It answers questions related to language, such as: What is language? How does language work? …… ● It studies not any particular language, but language as a whole. John is easy to please. * John is easy to please others. * John is easy to smile. * John is easy to walk. John is easy to please. To please John is easy. easy: adj. John is easy to please. John is eager to please. Prescriptive vs. Descriptive Synchronic vs. Diachronic Names Example Time Politicians George Bush a increasingly Jan.24,1990 a internal… Jan.24,1990 a undefended… Feb.15,1991 Jimmy Carter a election process Jun.14,1976 Charles Schultz a arrangement… Dec.9,1986 a accurate… Dec.9,1986 Names Example Time News Broadcasters David Letterman a article… Sept.2, 1980 Dick Cavett a emergency… Feb.17, 1986 Eddie Murphy a Oscar… Apr.11,1988 Bryant Gumbel a NBC… Apr.27,1990 Professionals Nancy Warr a impression… Jan.17, 1990 John W. Nields a air… Jan.15,1991 Names Example Time Actors Edith a in-depth report… Oct.29, 1986 Andrey Meadows a interesting… Nov.15, 1986 Guests on TV Talk Shows Howard Hunt a exchange… Oct.12,1986 George Carver a open… Aug.26,1986 Penny Stewart Richard F. Fawcett (1994) pointed out that “an” is disappearing in standard American English, and being replaced by “a”. Why? 从语义的角度来看，规定语法 “an” 与“a”的传统区别也只具有纯语法意义，并无语义价值区别。在信息上，词尾 “n”属于多余成分。这就使得 “n”的脱落成为可能 。 Synchronic: The description of a language at some point of time in history. Diachr