Language and Linguistic : A Workbook
语言与应用语言学
责任教师 ： 覃福香
二OO五年三月
Teaching plan :
contents of the course :
Unit 1 Awareness of Our Language
Unit 2 Physical Aspects of Language
Unit 3 The Symbolic Nature of Language
Unit 4 Language Function 1 : Organizing Our
Experiences of the Material World
Unit 5 Language Function 2 : Doing Thing s with
Language
Unit 6 Language Function 3 : Managing Interpersonal
Relations
Unit 7 Language Function 4 : Talk , Talk and Talk
Unit 8 Language in Society
Unit 9 Language , Brain and Mind
Unit 10 General Review and Course Assessment
Teaching Objectives :
◇ understand the relation between language and civilization
◇ understand the symbolic nature of language
◇ understand the various functions of language
◇ understand the relation between language and society
◇ understand the relation between language and mind
How to Study This Course
The basic task of Linguistics is to recognize and describe language , and this
is the unique feather of human being . Therefore , during the long history of
human development , language is very important . In other words , there is no
human civilization without language . This course is presented some basic knowledge
from this point of view . Language is a subject between humanities and science
, it streed the theory , specify and abstract . Read this coursebook at least
five times , you will find yourself confronted with some of the problems from
time to time . It is great to think about them .
Unit 1 Awareness of Our Language
Objectives :
◇ be aware that language is crucial to human evolution
◇ be aware that language is crucial to human civilization
◇ be aware of some traditional and popular views about language
◇ get a gist of what linguistics science is about
1 . Language , Homo Sapiens and Civilization
(1) Reflect on Language
One message is that language is more important to human than eyes , mouth, hands
, legs , etc., are . The other is that is unique to humans , and that no other
animals will be able to speak a human language .
Without language human beings will remain like apes and chimpanzees , and will
have to no civilization at all . The evidence from researchers who have failed
to teach chimpanzees to speak human language or use sign language .
(2) Is language in the brain ?
The fact is that babies learn their mother tongue effortlesslly offers undeniable
evidence that language has something to do with human brain . Some even argue
that babies are born with some sort of " language " already there
in the brain . There is a very influential theory of linguistics known as transformational
- generative grammar that emphasizes the innateness of human language . There
are also interdisciplinary studies that focus on the relation between language
and brain , notably psycholingstics , and neurolinguistics .
(3) Is language outside the brain ?
It is more acceptable to many to hold a middle ground position , that is , to
believe that humans are born with language capacity that enables then to acquire
language , any language , during their formative years .Since language capacity
in the brain can hardly be called language , language proper is therefore not
in the brain .Its nature is shaped by the way language users use it in communication
.
(4) Why so many languages ?
a . the origin of mankind : Africa , 3,000,000 years ago , homo habilis ( handy
man ) -- tool-- making and tool--using ; then homo erectus ( upright man about
1,500,000 years ago ) --walking upright with hands free ; then homo sapiens
( wise man about 300,000 years ago ; then homo sapiens sapiens ( modern man
, about 175,000 years ago ) .
b . the origin of language : one language at the very beginning ; developed
by African men , between 250,000 and 50,000 years ago .
c . the migration from Africa to the other parts of the world : African men
walked out of Africa and spread all over the world , about 35,000 to 12,000
years ago .
d . various dialects becoming languages : separated for too long , unable to
understand one another any more .
e . language families : modern linguists try to reconstruct historical links
between the present-day different languages .
2 . Traditional and Popular Views of Language
(1) Word magic
The belief that words possess magic power is all-pervasive in man's history
, and it is so deeply entrenched in the tradition that enen language students
, being fully aware of its falsehood , cannot resist its unseen influence .
Those words associated with bad or unpleasant things make people shiver , and
are to be avoided to the best they can .
Words are even believed to have power to cure disease .
Word magic is a kind of superstitious belief , which is often due to ignorance
or to the fear of things that people do not have power to control .
(2) The power of language
Words have no magic power by themselves . It is the superstitious belief that
renders some words appear magically powerful . In this task we examine another
kind of word power - - social and political power .
(3) Is the name the person ?
According to Professor Guide , proper names give people an identity . According
to Professor Franca , proper names also there are social , political and religious
dimensons .
(4) Written language as social status
Those who cannot read or write their mother tongue are termed illiterate , and
illiterate people are very much underpriviledged and remain low in a social
hierarchy .Those who can read and write well , on the other hand , are regarded
as educated scholars , and command respect .
3 . Language : Yours and Not Yours
(1) Is the language you speak yours ?
We must make a distinction between Chinese we speak and we speak in Chinese
. I am held responsible for what I say in Chinese , that is , the content of
what I say in Chinese , because what I say is mine . The same is true of everyone's
speech . You will be held responsible for what you say , because what you say
is yours .
The Chinese you speak , ignoring the content of what you say this time , is
yours and at the same time is not yours . This is because the Chinese you speak
is only part of the Chinese language all Chinese native speakers -- over one
billion -- speak . Surely you speak Chinese with your own characteristics ,
but you cannot make any changes to it without the consensus of all the Chinese
speakers . In other words , you do not owe it . It is not yours .
(2) Language : a dialect with gun and power
A more realistic picture about so-called Chinese is something like this . Peoplel
live in different areas speaking different dialects . The closer people live
, the more easily they can understand one another . Those who live far apart
will find it difficult or even impossible to understand one another . To ensure
that people can commucate regardless of the distance between them , Putonghua
, i.e. common language , is created . It is in fact based on northern dialects
and Beijing dialect in particular .
(3) Towards a linguistic science
Unit 2 Physical Aspects of Language
Objectives :
◇ understand the general processes of speech and written communication
◇ be aware of the different media used to represent language
◇ have some idea of what phonetics is about
◇ understand how sounds are produced
◇ be aware of different writing systems
1 . Language in Speech and Written Communication
(1) Language in face-to-face communication--speaking
and listening
Step 1 Hit upon an idea
Step 2 Articulate the idea
Step 3 Loaded sounds travel via air
Step 4 Get the message
(2) Language in written communication -- writing and reading
Step 1 Hit upon an idea
Step 2 Write it out
Step 3 Send it out
Step 4 Read the message
(3) A glimpse of language communication for handicapped people
The language for blind people is represented in Braille .Braille is a system
of writing or printing , in which combinations of tangible dots or points are
used to represent letters , characters , etc. , that are read by touch .
For deaf and mute people there are sign languages . We must note the distinction
between " gesture " and " sign " . Gesturing is confined
to a limited range of hand movements that are capable to express a small number
of basic notions . To sign , on the other hand , is to use the hands in a conscious
manner to express the same range of meanings as would be achieved by speech
. Communicators communicate by watching each other's signs .
2 . Speech Production
(1) Understand speech organs
The lungs
The lungs can be seen as a source of energy in speech production . They act
as a kind of bellows , allowing the air to flow inwards and outwards . We inhale
and then exhale , in correspondence with the expansion and the contraction of
the chest .
Vocal tract
Vocal tract refers to the route the air from the lungs travels through the throat
to the mouth or the nose or both and finally to the outside world . From a phonetic
point of view , the throat consists of two parts : pharynx , the upper part
; and larynx , the lower part . Larynx houses what is commonly called vocal
cords .
While the air from the lungs travels through the vocal tract , it is modified
because we alter some of its parts into various shapes or vibrate them . This
is how different sounds are produced .
The lips
There are the upper lip and the lower lip . Both lips help producing different
sounds .
The tongue
The tongue is divided , for the purpose of studying phonetics , into six parts
: the tip , i.e. the rounded end ; the blade , the part just behind the tip
; the tims , the edges of the tongue ; the front , the part under the hard palate
; the back , the part under the soft palate ; and the centre , the part under
the place where the hard and the soft palate meet . The tongue is very mobile
and flexible , and each of the six parts help producing different sounds .
The teeth
There are the upper teeth and the lower teeth . In most speakers , just behind
the of these central upper teeth and the gum ( technically called alveolus )
is a round ridge . This is the alveolar ridge , and many sounds representing
consonants in English are pronounced by placing the tip or blade of the tongue
on or near this ridge The soft palate
It is also called velum . The soft palate can be raised to let the air from
the lungs to go through the mouth only , or lowered to let the air released
through the nose .
The larynx
The larynx is located in the upper part of the windpipe .It has a nickname "Adam's
apple " . Vocal cords are inside it . They are two bands of muscular tissue
. Their tension , elasticity , height , width , length , and thickness can all
be varied . These features render a wide range of voiced sounds possible .
(2) Understand articulatory phonetics
the three stages of sound production :
Air production is technically called initiation . The air flows into the lungs
is called ingressive airflow .
Phonation means that we make our Adam's apple vibrate in order to produce audible
sounds .
Articulators are the third stage . The air is now through Adam's apple . It
enters the vocal tract . Some of these organs cannot be moved at will .Now let's
see what we cannot move at will : the hard palate is one , the upper teeth is
the other . Note that we can move our lower teeth , but not the upper ones .
These two kinds of articulators make the vocal tract into different shapes ,
thus producing different sounds .
(3) Some latest developments in speech science
Dr Jones introduced three latest developments in speech science .
The first is speech synthesis . By this technique speech can be converted into
written text , and written text can be converted into speech .
The second is forensic phonetics . Each individual has a distinct voice quality
and police use it to catch criminals .
The third is man-computer dialogue . A well-programmed computer can understand
what is said to it , and can be engaged in pre-programmed dialogue .
All these developments builds on phonetic studies .
3 . Written Language
Be aware of different writing systems
Writing systems can be classified into five general categories : phonological
writing and non-phonological writing .
Phonological writings refer to those writing systems that have a close connection
with the way languages are pronounced .
Non-phonological writings refer to those writing systems that have little connection
with the way languages are pronounced .
Chinese writing is often called "pictographic writing " . Characters
have the picture-like quality .
Modern Chinese are more ideographic than anything else . In other words , characters
represent meanings of words rather than their sounds .
English writing is also known as an alphabetic writing system.
Unit 3 The Symbolic Nature of Language
Objectives :
◇ tell an icon from a sign
◇ understand what a symbol is
◇ understand the two fundamental relations in language structure
1 . Words , Things and Worlds
(1) Tell an icon from a sign
An icon , that is , a small picture . It stands for real thing in the world
. Note that the thing a drawing stands for can be a real thing or an abstract
thing such as an idea . Icons physically resemble the things they stand for
, whereas signs do not . The fact that they do stand for things because people
have