人文知识-语言学.docVIP

人文知识——语言学 Main braches of linguistics Phonetics Phonetics studies speech sounds, including the production of speech, which is how speech sounds are actually made, transmitted and received, the sounds of speech, the description and classification of speech sounds, words and connected speech, etc. Phonology Phonology studies the rules governing the structure, distribution and sequencing of speech sounds and the shape of syllables. It deals with the sound system of a language by treating phonemes as the point of departure. Morphology Morphology is the branch of grammar which studies the internal structure of words and the rules by which words are formed. Syntax Syntax refers to the study of the rules governing the way words are combined to form sentences in a language, or simply, the study of the formation of sentences. Semantics Semantics examines how meaning is encoded in a language. It is not only concerned with meanings of words as lexical items, but also with levels of language below the words and above it, e.g. meaning of morphemes and sentences. Pragmatics Pragmatics is the study of meaning in context. It concerned with the way language is used to communicate rather than with the way language is structured. Macro-linguistics 2.1 Psycholinguistics Psycholinguistics investigates the interrelation of language and mind, in processing and producing utterances and in language acquisition. It also studies language development in the child, biological foundations of language and the relationship between language and cognition. 2.2 Sociolinguistics Sociolinguistics is the study of the characteristics of language varieties, the characteristics of their functions and the characteristics of their speakers as these three constantly interact and change within a speech community. 2.3 Anthropological linguistics It is the investigation that uses the theories and methods of anthropology to study language variation and language use in relation to human cultural patterns