复习内容《简明英语语言学教程》导学手册.docVIP

PAGE PAGE 28 INTRODUCTION 绪论 I 语言学基本知识 Linguistics 语言学 What is linguistics? 什么是语言学？ Linguistics is generally defined as the systematic (or scientific ) study of language. It tries to answer the basic questions “What is language?” and “How does language work?” A linguist is a person who studies linguistics. His task is basically to study and understand the general principles upon which all languages are built. Linguistics vs. traditional grammar 语言学与传统语法 Linguistics differs from traditional grammar in several basic ways. Linguistics is descriptive, not prescriptive 语言学是描写性的而非规定性的 A linguist is interested in what people actually say, not what people should say. He tries to describe language in all aspects, but not prescribe rules of “correctness”. He would prefer to be an observer and recorder of facts, but not a judge. He regards the changes in language and language use as the result of a natural and continuous process, not something to be feared. b) Linguistics regards the spoken language as primary, not the written. 语言学认为语是第一性的而非书面语 Linguistics gives priority to the spoken language for a number of reasons. Historically, speech existed long, long before writing systems came into being. Genetically, children always learn to speak before they learn to write. Therefore, speech is considered as the primary medium. That is: the spoken first, then the written. c) Linguistics differs from traditional grammar in that it does not force languages into a Latin-based framework. 语言学与传统语法的差别还在于它不是把语言都放在拉丁语法框架里。 Traditional grammar assumes that Latin provides a universal framework into which all languages fit. Whereas, linguists are opposed to the notion that any one language can provide an adequate framework for all the others. They are trying to set up a universal framework based on the features shared by most of the languages. The Scope of Linguistics 语言学的范围 The scope of linguistics includes phonetics（speech sound）, phonology (sound patterning), morpho