Linguistics2008课件.ppt

Linguistics 刘润清 文旭 编著 Chapter One Introduction 1.1 What is language? The things in the real world can be processed into images and schemas through perception. Categorization-- people classified the things into groups according to their similarities and dissimilarities based on the images and schemas. Then the concrete images and schemas are processed into more abstract ideals or mental representations of categories. ConceptualizationWhen a linguistic symbol is assigned to an ideal, a concept comes into being. Once the symbol (like bird) is conventionalized, the members will understand what ideals and images the symbols stand for when they hear or read them, and then further know what things they refer to in the world. Thus, each word has two inseparable components: an image-carrying form, which Saussure calls signifier, and a concept which Saussure calls signified. The cognitive process may be concluded as: things→images and schemas→ideals→concepts→linguistic symbols. Language can be defined as “a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication. （the understanding of the key words： system， arbitrary， vocal） 1.2 What is linguistics？ a. Linguistics is the scientific or systematic study of language. It studies the rules, systems and principles of human language. It concerns with a wide range of linguistic phenomena, analyzes them and makes general statements ( the nature of language) about them. It is guided by the three canons: Exhaustiveness—it strives for thorough-goingness in the examination of relevant materials; Consistency—there should be no contradiction between different parts of the total statements; Economy—other things being equal, a shorter statement or analysis is to be preferred to one that is longer or more complex. c. the purposes of linguistics— to reveal the nature of lg and try to establish theories of lg; to examine all the forms of lg in general and seek a scientific understanding of the ways in which it is org