[英语学习]当代语言学导论课件.ppt

Chapter 7 From Meaning to Function Icon of Peace Natural Index Symbolic System A. Natural Symbols. They are part of natural phenomena, e.g. lightning in the thunderstorm. B. Artificial Symbols. They are mental representations of entities. Saussurean Arbitrariness An association of concepts with abstract representations of sound Arbitrary Relation between  Sounds and Meaning There are only a small number of words whose relation can be explained, but whose pronunciation still cannot be uniform among languages. e.g. onomatopoeia (echo words): cuckoo (English), coucou (French), Kuckuck (German) Kakuk (Hungarian) Kokkyx (Greek) bugu (Chinese) Language is a symbolic system in which the relation between signs (signified) and sounds (signifier) is arbitrary. Arbitrariness comes from having to code a whole universe of meanings. Semantics 语义学 The study of meaning communicated through language. Ogden Richards’ Semantic Triangle Semantic Triangle Semiotics 符号学 The study of the relationships between a sign and the object it represents. Pierce’s Semiotic Triangle What Is a Sign? A sign is a pattern of data which, when perceived, brings to mind something other than itself. Although this definition appears simple on the surface, it has complex implications. Please pause to look at the following picture for a moment. A Semiotic System At the beginning of the exercise, did this sign: , bring to your mind a large, African or Indian animal? Or memories of a trip to the zoo? Or images recalled from a favorite book read as a child, or a television show, or a movie...? Pierce’s Semiotic Triangle Each of the lines in the Semiotic Triangle represents a two-way negotiation, i.e. Perception -- the ongoing group