Chapter 1
ⅠThe things that I have learnt
①Linguistics: the scientific study of language.
②The scope of linguistics: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics,
pragmatics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, applied linguistics ect.
③Some important distinctions in linguistics: prescriptive vs. descriptive, synchronic
vs. diachronic, speech and writing, langue and parole, competence and performance.
④Traditional grammar: prescriptive; tended to emphasize, maybe over-emphasize
the importance of the written words; forced languages into a Latin-based framework.
⑤Several different definitions of language, e.g. Language is a purely human and
non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions and desires by means of voluntarily produced symbols. (Sapir,1921)
⑥Generally accepted definition: language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols
used for human communication.
⑦Design features of language (design features refer to the definition properties of
human language that distinguish it from any animal system of communication.) : arbitrariness, productivity, duality, displacement, cultural transmission ect.
⑧Functions of language: phatic, directive, informative, interrogative, perforrnative,
expressive and evocative.
⑨Saussure: the Swiss linguist in the early 20th century.
⑩Chomsky: the American linguist in the late 1950s.
ⅡThe things that I am interested in.
①The scope of linguistics, such as phonetics.
②The differences between modern linguistics and traditional grammar.
③Design features of language.
ⅢThe things that I am confused
①the Swiss linguist F. de Saussure in the early 20th century; the American linguist N. Chomsky in the late 1950s. How to understand the red parts (the underline parts)
②How to understand the following words
Synchronic, diachronic, langue and parole
③The functions of language. I still can’t understand each function means what exactaly.。