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中华英语学习网官方总站：圣才学习网官方总站：圣才学习网中华英语学习网官方总站：圣才学习网中华英语学习网官方总站：圣才学习网■Somemythsaboutlanguage:■Languageisonlyameansofcommunication.■Languagehasaform-meaningcorrespondence.■Thefunctionoflanguageistoexchangeinformation.■EnglishismoredifficulttolearnthanChinese.■BlackEnglishisnotstandardandshouldbereformed.■SomefundamentalviewsaboutLanguage:■(1)Childrenlearntheirnativelanguageswiftly,efficientlyandwithoutinstruction.■(2)Languageoperatesbyrules.■(3)Alllanguageshavethreemajorcomponents:asoundsystem,asystemoflexicogrammarandasystemofsemantics.■(4)Everyonespeaksadialect.■(5)Languageslowlychanges.■(6)Speakersofalllanguagesemployarangeofstylesandasetofjargons.■(7)Languagesareintimatelyrelatedtothesocietiesandindividualswhousethem.■(8)Writingisderivativeofspeech.1.1WhyStudyLanguage?中华英语学习网官方总站：圣才学习网■Somemostfrequentlyusedsensesoftheword“language”fromWebster’sNewWorldDictionary:Namely:(a)humanspeech;(b)theabilitytocommunicatebythismeans;(c)asystemofvocalsoundsandcombinationsofsuchsoundstowhichmeaningisattributed,usedfortheexpressionorcommunicationofthoughtsandfeelings;(d)thewrittenrepresentationofsuchasystem;■Othersenses:e.g.thestudyofmultimodaldiscourseswhichresortstosuchsymbolicresourcesasimagesandsounds.■Thetermmultimodalreferstoatleastfivemodesofmeaning-making:linguistic,visual,gestural,spatialandaudio,workingtogethertotexts.1.2WhatIsLanguage?中华英语学习网官方总站：圣才学习网■Severalimportantdefinitionsoflanguage:■Language“isnottobeconfusedwithhumanspeech,ofwhichitisonlyadefinitepart,thoughcertainlyanessentialone.Itisbothasocialproductofthefacultyofspeechandacollectionofnecessaryconventionsthathavebeenadoptedbyasocialbodytopermitindividualstoexercisethatfaculty”.—FerdinanddeSaussure(1857-1913):CourseinGeneralLinguistics(1916)■“Alanguageisasystemofarbitraryvocalsymbolsbymeansofwhichthemembersofasocietyinteractintermsoftheirtotalculture.”—GeorgeTrager:TheFieldofLinguistics(1949)■Languageis“theinstitutionwherebyhumanscommunicateandinteractwitheachotherbymeansofhabituallyusedoral-auditoryarbitrarysymbols.”—RobertA.Hall(1911-1997):IntroductoryLinguistics(1964)■“Languageisaformofhumancommunicationbymeansofasystemofsymbolsprincipallytransmittedbyvocalsounds.”—StuartC.Poole:AnIntroductiontoLinguistics(1999)中华英语学习网官方总站：圣才学习网■Definitionsoflanguageinthetextbook:■“Languageisameansofverbalcommunication.”■Itisinstrumentalinthatcommunicatingbyspeakingorwritingisapurposefulact.■Itissocialandconventionalinthatlanguageisasocialsemioticandcommunicationcanonlytakeplaceeffectivelyifalltheusersshareabroadunderstandingofhumaninteractionincludingsuchassociatedfactorsasnonverbalcues,motivation,andsocio-culturalroles.■Languagedistinguisheshumanbeingsfromanimalsinthatitisfarmoresophisticatedthananyanimalcommunicationsystem.中华英语学习网官方总站：圣才学习网一、选择题WhichofthefollowingstatementisNOTtrue?[大连外国语学院2008研]A.Languageisameansofvocalcommunication.B.Languageisinstrumental.C.Languageissocialandconventional.【答案】B二、判断正误1.“Languageoperatesbyrules”isafundamentalviewaboutlanguage.[大连外国语学院2008研]【答案】T2.ItisconclusivethatChineseisregardedastheprimevallanguage.[清华大学2000研]【答案】F3.Whereverhumansexist,languageexists.[对外经济贸易大学2006研]【答案】F英语专业考研真题精选中华英语学习网官方总站：圣才学习网三、简答题Whyisitdifficulttodefinelanguage?[北京第二外国语学院2004研]【答案】Itisdifficulttodefinelanguage,asitissuchageneraltermthatcoverstoomanythings.Thus,definitionsforitallhavetheirownspecialemphasis,andarenottotallyfreefromlimitations.中华英语学习网官方总站：圣才学习网四、论述题Commentonthefollowingtopic:Definitionsoflanguage.[西安外国语学院2006研]【答案】Infact,itisverydifficulttogivethisquestionasatisfactorydefinition.Thevariousdefinitionsgiventolanguagesofarhavepointedoutsomeaspectsoftheessenceoflanguage,butallofthemhaveleftoutsomething.Themulti-facetednatureoflanguageshouldbetakenintoconsiderationwhenitisdefined.(1)Languagemustbeasystem,sinceelementsinitarearrangedaccordingtocertainrules;theycannotbecombinedatwill.Iflanguagewerenotsystematic,itcouldnotbelearnedorusedconsistently.(2)Languageisar