語言學(xué)練習(xí)題(附答案)Chapter1Language

1、Chapter One Language1. Define the following terms1) discreteness3) arbitrariness5) displacement7) the imaginative function of language language9) the heuristic function of language2. Multiple ChoiceDirections:In each question there2) design features4) duality6) cultural transmission8) the personal f

2、unction of10) languageare four choices. Decide which one would bethe best answer to the question or to complete the sentence best.1) Which of the following words is entirely arbitraryA. treeB. crashC. typewriter D. bang2) The function of the sentence “ Water boils at 100 degrees Centigrade ” isA. in

3、terrogativeB. directiveC. informativeD.performative3) In Chinese when someone breaks a bowl or a plate the host or the peoplepresent are likely to say sui sui ping an (every year be safe and happy)as a means of controlling the forces which the believers feel might affect their lives. Which function

4、does it performA. Interpersonal. B. Emotive.C Performative.D.Recreational.4) Which of the following properties of language enables language users toovercome the barriers causedby time and place, due to this feature oflanguage, speakers of a language are free to talk about anything in any situationB.

5、 Duality.A. interchangeability.C. Displacement.D. Arbitrariness.5) Study the following dialogue. What function does it play according to the functions of languageA nice day, isn ' t it-Right! I really enjoy the sunlight.A. Emotive B. Phatic.C. Peformative. D.Interpersonal.6) Unlike animal commun

6、ication systems, human language is . A. stimulus freeB. stimulus boundC. under immediate stimulus controlD. stimulated by some occurrence of communal interest.7) Which of the following is the most important function of languageA. interpersonal functionB. performative functionC. informative functionD

7、. recreational function8) In different languages, different terms are used to express the animal "狗",this shows the nature of - of human language.A arbitrariness B cultural transmissionC displacementdiscreteness9) Which of the following disciplines are related to applied linguisticsA. stat

8、isticsB. psycholinguisticsC. physicsD. philosophy10) has been widely accepted as the father of modemlinguistics.A. Chomsky B. Saussure C. Bloomfield D. John Lyons3. Word CompletionDirections:Fill in the blanks with the most suitable words.1) Design features, a framework proposed by the American ling

9、uist Charles Hockett, refer to the properties of human language that distinguishes it from any animal system of communication.2) refers to the phenomenon that the sounds in a language are meaningfully distinct. For instance, the difference between the sounds /p/ and /b/ is not actually very great, b

10、ut when these sounds are part of a language like English, they are used in such a way that the occurrence of one rather than the other is meaningful.3) In any language words can be used in new ways to mean new things and can be combined into innumerable sentences based on limitedrules.Thisfeature is

11、 usually termed p or c.4) Language has many functions. We can use language to talk about language itself. This function is m function.5) Cultural transmission refers to the fact that language is c transmitted. It is passed on from one generation to the next through teaching and learning, rather than

12、 by i.6) One general principle of linguistic analysis is the primacy of overwriting.7) The function refers to the use of language to communicate knowledgeabout the world, to report events, to make statements, to give accounts, to explain relationships, to relay messages and so on.8) The function ref

13、ers to language used to ensure social maintenance.Phatic communion is part of it. The term phatic communion introduced by the anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski refers to language used for establishing an atmosphere or maintaining social contact rather than for exchanging facts.9) Language is a sys

14、tem of arbitrary symbols used for humanCommunication.10) Language has two levels. They are level and level.11) Language is a because every language consists of a set of ruleswhich underlie people ' s actual speech or writing.12) The function refers to language used in an attempt to control event

15、s once they happen.13) The design features of language are (2)(3) (4) (6) and :14) By sayingalanguage is arbitrary” , we mean that there is no logicalconnection between meaning and 15) The four principles in the linguistic study are (1)(3)and (4).4. True or False QuestionsDirections:Decide whether t

16、he following statements are true or false. WriteT for true and F for false in the bracket before each of them.1) ( ) The relation between form and meaning in human language is natural.2) ( ) When language is used to get information from others, it serves an informative function.3) ( ) The reason for

17、 French to use cheval and for English to use horse to refer to the same animal is inexplicable.4) () Most animal communication systems lack the primary level ofarticulation.5) ( ) Language change is universal,ongoing and arbitrary.6) ( ) Language is a system of arbitrary, written signs which permit

18、all the people in a given culture, or other people who have learned the system of that culture, to communicate or interact.7) ( ) In theory, the length of sentences is limited.8) ( ) The relationship between the sounds and their meaning is arbitrary.9) ( ) Linguistic symbols are a kind of visual sym

19、bols, which include vocalsymbols.10) ( ) Linguistic symbols are produced by human speech organs.11) ( ) Every language has two levels: grammatically meaningless and sound meaningful.12) ( ) Such features of language as being creative, vocal, and arbitrary can differentiate human languages from anima

20、l communicative systems.13) ( ) Duality is one of the characteristics of human language. It refers to the fact that language has two levels of structures: the system of sounds and the system of meanings.14) ( ) Language is a means of verbal communication. Therefore, thecommunication way used by the

21、deaf-mute is not language.15) () Arbitrariness of language makes it potentially creative, andconventionality of language makes a language be passed from generation to generation. As a foreign language learner, the latter is more important for us.5. Glossary translation1) personal function2) heaurist

22、ic function3) ideational function4) interchangeability5) 控制功能6) 表現(xiàn)功能7) 文化傳遞性8) 分離性9)區(qū)別性特征10) 不受時(shí)空限制的屬性11) Interactionalfunction12) instrumentational function13) imaginative function14) 寒暄功能15) 元語言功能16) Personal function17) performativefunction18) 娛樂功能19) 信息功能20) 人際功能6. Short Essay Questions1) What a

23、re the functions of language Exemplify each function.2) Explain what the term duality means as it is used to describe a propertyof human language.3) Is language productive or not Why4) What is language5) What are the major design features of language Please explain three of them with examples.Key to

24、 Chapter One1. Define the followina terms1) Discreteness refers to the phenomenon that the sounds in a language are meaningfully distinct. For instance, the difference between the sounds /p/ and /b/ is not actually very great, but when these sounds are part of a language like English, they are used

25、in such a way that the occurrence of one rather than the other ismeaningful. The fact that the pronunciation of the formspad and bad leads to adistinction in meaning can only be due to the difference between the sounds /p/ and /b/ in English. Each sound in the language is thought of as discrete. It

26、is possible to produce a range of sounds in a continuous stream which are all generally like the sounds /p/ and /b/ .2) “ Design features ” refer to the defining properties of human language that tell the difference between human language and any system of animal communication. They are arbitrarines

27、s, duality, productivity, displacement, cultural transmission and interchangeability. (3 分)3) “Arbitrariness” means that there is no logical connection between meaningsand sounds. A dog might be a pig if only the first person or group of persons had used it for a pig.Language is therefore largely ar

28、bitrary. But language is not absolutely arbitrary, because there are cases where there are or at least seem to be somesound- meaning association, if we think of echo Words,like “ bang” ,“ crash ” , ” roar ” , which are motivatedin a certain sense. Secondly,somecompounds are not entirely arbitrary ei

29、ther.“ Snow” and“ storm ” are arbitraryor unmotivated words, while“snowstorm” is less so. So we can say “arbitrariness ”is a matter of degree.4) Linguists refer “ duality ” of structure to the fact that in all languagesso far investigated, one finds two levels of structure or patterning. At the firs

30、t, higher level, language is analyzed in terms of combinations of meaningful units (such as morphemes, words etc.); at the second, lower level, it is seen as a sequence of segments which lack any meaning in themselves, but which combine to form units ofmeaning. According to Hu Zhuanglin et al., lang

31、uage is a system of two sets ofstructures, one of sounds and the other of meaning. This is important for the workings of language. A small number of sounds can be grouped and regrouped into a large number of semantic units (words), and these units of meaning can be arranged and rearranged into an in

32、finite number of sentences. (For example, we have dictionaries of words, but no dictionary of sentences!) Duality makes it possible for a person to talk about anything within his knowledge. No animal communication system enjoys this duality, or even approaches this honor.5) “ Displacement ” , as one

33、 of the design features of the humanlanguage, refers to the fact that one can talk about things that are not present, as easily as hedoes things present. In other words, one can refer to real and unreal things, things of the past, of the present, of the future. Language itself can be talked about to

34、o. People can use language to describe something that had occurred, is occurring, or is to occur. But a dog could not bark for a bone to be lost. The bee s Systemhas a small share of“ displacement ” , but it is an unspeakable tiny share.6) Language is not biologically transmitted from generation to

35、generation, but the details of the linguistic system must be learned anew by each speaker. It istrue that the capacity for language in humanbeings (N. Chomsky called it “l(fā)anguage acquisition device ” , or LAD) has a geneticbasis, but the particularlanguage aperson learns to speak is a cultural one r

36、ather than a genetic one like the dog sbarking system. If a human being is brought up in isolation he cannot acquirelanguage. The wolf- child reared by the wolves turned out to speak the wolf s roaring “tongue ” when he was saved. And it was difficult for him to acquire human language.7) The imagina

37、tive function refers to language used to create imaginary system, whether these are literary works, philosophical systems or utopian visions on theone hand, or daydreams and idle musings on the other hand. It is also language used for sheer joy of using language, such as a baby s babbling,a chanter

38、s chanting,a poet s pleasuring.8) The personal function refers to language used to express the individual s feelings, emotions and personality.9) The heuristic function of language refers to language used in order to acquire knowledge and understanding the world. The heuristic functioning provides a

39、 basis for the structure of knowledge in the different disciplines. Language allows people to ask questions about the nature of the world they live in and to construct possible answers.10) Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for humancommunication.2. Multiple Choice1) - 5): A C C C

40、B 6)- 10): A C C B B3. Word Completion.1) defining 2) Descreteness 3) productivity or creativity 4) metalingual 5) culturally, instinct or inheritance 6) speech 7) representational 8) interactional;9) vocal;10) gramatically meaningful, sound meaningless; 11) system; 12) regulatory13) arbitrariness,d

41、uality, productivity,cultural transmission,interchangeability, discreteness, displacement. 14) sound; 15) exhaustiveness, economy, objectivity, consistency4. True or False Questions15: FFTFT1 - 5: FFTFF 6-10: FFTFT 115. Glossary Translation1) personal function:人際功能2) heauristic function：啟發(fā)功能3) ideat

42、ional function：概念功能4) interchangeability ： 互換性5) 控制功能： regulatory function6) 表現(xiàn)功能 : representational functin7) 文化傳遞性: cultural transmisssion8) 分離性 : discreteness9) 區(qū)別性特征: design features10) 不受時(shí)空限制的屬性: displacement11) Interactional function:互動(dòng)功能12) instrumentational function ： 工具功能13) imaginative fun

43、ction ： 想象功能14) 寒暄功能： phatic function15) 元語言功能 : metalingual function or metafunction of language16) personal function: 自指性功能17) performative function:表達(dá)功能18) 娛樂功能: recreational function19) 信息功能: informative function20) 人際功能: interpersonal function6. Short Essay Questions1) What are the functions of

44、 language Exemplify each function.According to Wang Gang (1988: 11), the functions of language can be mainlyembodied in three aspects. i) Language is a tool of human communication; ii)Language is a tool whereby people learn about the world; iii) Language is a tool by which people create art.As a mat

45、ter of fact, different linguists have different terms for the variousfunctions of language. The British linguist M. A. K. Halliday uses the followingterms to refer to the initial functions of children s language:(1) InstrumentalThe instrumental function of language refers to the fact that language a

46、llows speakers to get things done. It allows them to control things in the environment. People can cause things to be done and to happen through the use of words alone.An immediate contrast here is with the animal world in which sounds are hardly used in this way, and, when they are, they are used i

47、n an extremely limited degree. The instrumental function can be primitive too in human interaction. Performativeutterances such as the words which name a ship at a launching ceremony clearly haveinstrumental functions if the right circumstances exist； they are acts, . I namethis ship Liberty Bell .(

48、2) RegulatoryThe regulatory function refers to language used in an attempt to control events once they happen. Those events may involvethe self as well as others. People dotry to control themselves through language, .Why did I say that / Steady! / AndLet methink about that again . Language helps to

49、regulate encounters among people. Language provides devices for regulating specific kinds of encounters and contains words for approving or disapproving and for controllingor disruptingthe behaviorof others. It allows us to establish complex patterns of organization in order to try to regulate behav

50、ior, from game playing to political organization, from answering the telephone to addressing in foreign affairs. It is the regulatory function of language that allows people some measure of control over events that occur in their lives.(3)RepresentationalThe representational function refers to the u

51、se of language to communicate knowledge about the world, to report events, to make statements, to give accounts, to explain relationships, to relay messages and so on. This function of language is represented by all kinds of record-keeping, such as historical records, geographical surveys, business

52、accounts, scientific reports,government acts, andpublic data banks. It is an essential domain of language use, for the availability of this material guarantees the knowledge-base of subsequent generations, which is a prerequisite of social development.(4) InteractionalThe interactional function refe

53、rs to language used to ensure social maintenance. Phatic communion is part of it. The term phatic communion introduced by theanthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski refers to language used for establishing an atmosphere or maintaining social contact rather than for exchanging facts. A greeting such as h

54、ow are you is relatively empty of content, and answers likefineor very well, thank you are equally empty, because the speaker is not interested in the hearer s health, but rather to demonstrate his politeness and general attitude toward the other person when he gives a conversational greeting.(5) Pe

55、rsonalThe personal function refers to language used to express the individual sfeelings, emotions and personality. A person s individuality is usually characterized by his or her use of personal function of communication. Each individual has a “voice ” in what happens to him. He is free to speak or

56、not to speak, to say, as much or as little as he pleases, and to choose how to say what he says. The use of language can tell the listener or reader a great deal about the speaker or writer in particular, about his regional origin, social background, level of education, occupation, age, sex, and per

57、sonality.Language also provides the individual with a means to express feelings, whether outright in the form of exclamations, endorsements, or curse, or much more subtly through a careful choice of words. Many social situations display language used to foster a sense of identity: the shouting of a

58、crowd at a football match, the shouting of names or slogans at public meetings, the reactions of the audience to television game shows, the shouts of affirmation at some religious meetings. For example, th e crowds attending President Regan s pre -election meetings in 1984 repeatedly shouted “ Four more years! ” which united among those who shared the same political views.(6) Heurist