Design Features of Language

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1、DesignFeaturesofLanguage语言的本质特征ArbitrarinessDualityCreativityDisplacementArbitrariness★firstlydiscussedbySaussure(Swiss,“Fatherofmodernlinguistics”)★Arbitrarinessreferstothefactthattheformsoflinguisticsignsbearsnonaturalrelationshiptotheirmeanings.★Thereisnomotivatedrelationshipbetweenthesigna

2、ndwhatitisasignfor.Thesymbolshavebeenchosenarbitrarilyforthemessage.Thesmallerthelinguisticunit,themorearbitraryitis.sounds>morphemes>words>phrases>clauses>sentences/utterances>texts/discoursespin---bin,fish---dishcompoundwords:shoe-maker,photocopyTheygotmarriedandhadachild.Theyhadachildandgot

3、married.ArbitrarinessandConventionThenwhatisthelinkbetweenalinguisticsignanditsmeaning?Itisamatterofconvention.语言符号的形式和意义之间是约定俗成的关系。Duality(二层性)Primaryunits‘words’(meaningful)consistofsecondaryunits‘sounds’(meaningless)“theinfiniteuseoffinitemeans”sounds>morphemes>words>phrases>clauses>sentenc

4、es/utterances>texts/discoursesCreativity(创造性)Languageisresourcefulbecauseofitsdualityanditsrecursiveness(递归性).duality:aninfinitesetofsentencesrecursiveness:anendlesssentenceDisplacement(移位性)Humanlanguagesenabletheiruserstosymbolizeobjects,eventsandconceptswhicharenotpresent(intimeandspace)atth

5、emomentofcommunication.Thus,wecanrefertoConfucius,ortheNorthPole,eventhoughthefirsthasbeendeadforover2550yearsandthesecondissituatedfarawayfromus.Displacementbenefitshumanbeingsbygivingusthepowertohandlegeneralizationsandabstractions.Ihateyou.Iloveyou.“Nomatterhoweloquentlyadogmaybark,hecannot

6、tellyouthathisparentwerepoorbuthonest.”