薇语言学-名词解释

2021年1月24日发(作者：ivan)
1. Language
is a scientific system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication.
2. Minimal pairs
are the word forms which differ from each other only by one sound. In other words, when two different forms re identical in
every way except for one sound segment that occurs in the same place in the string; the two words are called minimal pairs.
3.

A morpheme
is the smallest linguistic unit that carries grammatical and/or semantic meaning.
4. IPA:
A phonetic transcription is an economical
means for capturing sounds on paper, that is, a method of writing down speech sounds in a
systematic and consistent way. The best-known system, the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), has been developing since 1888.

5.
SLA
: second language acquisition to refer to the process of acquiring or learning an additional language after the learner has acquired his or her
mother tongue.
6.
Linguistics
is the science of language for all human societies, and is defined as the systematic study of language.
7.
Diachronic study:
the description of the historical development of a language. Linguistic study in the 19
th
century was primarily concerned
with the diachronic description.
8.
Synchronic study:
the description of a particular state of a language at a single point of time. The priority of synchronic description is a
characteristic of most twentieth-century linguistic theories.
9.
Syntagmatic relation:
the relations between units which combine to form sequences
10.
Paradigmatic relation:
oppositions which produce distinct and alternative terms
11.
Competence
refers to the knowledge that native speakers have of their language as system of abstract formal relations. That is the ideal
language user’s knowledge of the rules of his language.

12.
Performance
refers to what we do when we speak or listen, that is, the actual realization of this knowledge in utterances.
13.
A corpus
refers to a collection of linguistic data, either complicated as written texts or as a transcription of recorded speech.
14.
A phonetic transcription
is an economical means for capturing sounds on paper, that is, a method of writing down speech sounds in a
systematic and consistent way.
15.
Phoneme
is the minimum phonemic unit that is not further analyzable into smaller units. It is the basic unit in phonological analysis.
16.
Sound
patterns

refer
to
the set
of
sounds
that occur
in
a
given
language,
the
permissible
arrangements
of
these
sounds in
words,
and
the
processes for adding, deleting, or changing sounds.
17.
Stress
is the pronunciation of a word or syllable with more force than the surrounding words or syllables.
18.
Pitch
is a suprasegmental quality which extends over individual segments and longer stretches of speech.
19.
Inflection

refers
to
the process
of
adding
an
affix
to
a
word
or
changing it in
some
other
way
according
to
the
rules
of
the grammar
of
a
language.
20.
Proverbs
are normally in the form of a sentence. A proverb is often a short sentence that people often quote and use to give advice and state
some general human life experience and problem.

21.
Synonymy
: words or expressions with the same or similar meaning are said to be synonymy.
22.
Homonymy
refers to cases where lexemes with the same phonological or morphological shape have different meanings.
23.
a speech act
：
An action performed by the use of an utterance to communicate is called a speech act.
24.
Dialect
refers to any regional, social or ethnic variety of a language.

25.
Register
refers
to
the
functional
variety
of
language
that
is
defined
according
to
its
use
in
context.
Registers
vary
according
to
the
three
parameters of context: field, tenor and mode (Halliday, 1978).

26.
Language planning
refers to a deliberate attempt, usually at the level of the state or government administration, to affect language use in order
to prevent or to solve some problems of communication.
27.
Hyponymy
is used to refer to a specific
—
general semantic relationship between lexical items.

1. What is the scope of linguistics?
Answer: there are six branches of linguistics. 1)Phonetics is the study of human speech sounds.2)Phonology
is
the
study
of
sound
patterning.3)Morphology
is
the
study
of
the
internal
structures
of
the
form
of
words.4)Syntax
is
the
study
of
sentence
structure.5)Semantics is the study of meaning.6)Pragmatics studies how speakers use language in ways which can not be predicted from linguistic
knowledge alone.
2. What are the differences between Langue and Parole? Please analysis the distinctions of Langue and Parole.
Answer: This distinction is proposed by Saussure in his Course in General Linguistics.

Langue:
the abstract system; a collective body of knowledge; a kind of common reference manual; acquired by all members of a community of
speakers; relatively stable and systematic.
Parole:
the particular actualities of individual utterance; the contingent executive side of things; the relatively superficial behavioral reflexes of
knowledge; the use of language in utterances; subject to personal or situational constraints.
3. Please describe the three kinds of Origin of Language?
Answer:1) Creation (Devine Origin) Almost every religion has stories about how man received language
from
god. The divine origin theorists
propose
that
in
the
beginning
there
was
one
language
from
one
source,
which
later
became
corrupted
into
many
languages.2)
Evolution:Men
evolved from lower forms of life; language, too, evolved. 3) Invention:The invention theory believes that there is a natural connection between the
forms of language and the essence of things.
describe the semantic relations briefly.
Answer: (1) synonymy and antonymy:

Words or expressions with the same or similar meaning are said to be synonymous. Antonymy is the relationship of oppositeness of meaning.
(2) meronymy and hyponymy:
Meronymy
is a term used to describe a part-whole relationship between lexical items.
Hyponymy
is used to refer
to a specific
—
general semantic relationship between lexical items. (3)
polysemy and homonymy:
When a single lexeme has several meanings, it
is called polysemic.
Homonymy
refers to cases where lexemes with the same phonological or morphological shape have different meanings.

5. In 1967, linguist Grice proposed the term of the cooperative principle and its maxims. Then please describe the cooperative principle
and its maxims.
Answer: According to cooperative principle, the participants in a conversation normally communicate in a maximally efficient,
rational and cooperative way. They should speak sincerely, relevantly and clearly, while providing sufficient information.
Four maxims:(1)The maxim of qualityTry to make your contribution one that is true, especially: (i) do not say what you believe to be false and (ii)
do
not
say
that
for
which
you
lack
adequate
evidence.(2)The
maxim
of

your
contribution
as
informative
as
is
required
for
the
current purposes of the exchange and (ii) do not make your contribution more informative than is required.(3)The maxim of your
contribution relevant.(4)The maxim of perspicuous, and specifically: (i) Avoid obscurity of expression; (ii) Avoid ambiguity; (iii) Be
brief (avoid unnecessary prolixity) and (iv) Be orderly.
6.

What are the major differences between acquisition and language learning?
Acquisition
is called as the spontaneous internalization of rules and formulas. First language acquisition is also called mother tongue acquisition.
Acquisition takes place in the speech community where one’s first language or second language is spoken. It is often natural,
without much focus
on form. The learning of English by speakers of other languages in the United States is an example of second language acquisition.
Foreign language learning
is usually takes place in the speech community where one’s first language is spoken. It is a conscious process through
formal school- like settings and requires time for processing, for example, the learning of English in China.