Linguistics research Essay Example for Free

Linguistics research Essay1. Linguistics Linguistics is generally defined as the scientific instruct of lecture. 2. Phonology The study of how sounds be put together and used in communication is called phonology. 3. Syntax The study of how morphemes and words are combined to machinate sentences is called syntax. . 4 Design features it referred to the delimit properties of human verbiage that tell the difference between human lyric that tell the difference between human delivery and any governing body of animal communication. 5. Psycholinguistics The study of language with reference to the workings of mind is called psycholinguistics. 6. Language Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication. 7. Ph angiotensin converting enzymetics The study of sounds which are used in linguistic communication is called phonetics. 8. Morphology The study of the way in which morphemes are arranged to form words is called morphology. 9. Parole it referred to the actual phenomena or data of linguistics. V. Answer the following questions as comprehensively as possible. Give examples for illustration if necessary 1. Language is generally defined as a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication.Explain it in detail. First of all, language is a system, because Elements of language are com bined agree to rules. Secondly, language is arbitrary because in that gaze is no intrinsic connection between form and meaning, or between the sign and what it stands for. Different languages have disparate words for the comparable object in the world. This fact is a good illustration of the arbitrary nature of language. This also explains the symbolic nature of language words are just Symbols they are associated with objects, actions, ideas, etcetera by conven tion.Thirdly, language is vocal because the primary medium is sound for all languages, no matter how well developed their writing systems are. The term human in the definit ion indicates that language is possessed by human beings only and is very different from the communication systems of other living creatures. The term communication means that language makes it possible for its users to talk to each other and fulfill their commu nicative needs. 2. What are the design features of human language? Illustrate them with examples. 1) Arbitrariness As mentioned earlier, the arbitrary property of language means that there is no logical connection between meanings and sounds. For instance, there is no nec essary relationship between the word elephant and the animal it symbolizes. In addition, different sounds are used to refer to the same object in different languages, and even within the same language, the same sound does not refer to the same thing. However, language is not entirely arbitrary. There are words which are created in the imitation of sounds by sounds, such as crash, bang in English.Besides, more or less compound words are also not entirely ar bitrary. But the non-arbitrary words are quite limited in number. The arbitrary nature of language makes it possible for language to have an unlimited source of expressions. 2) Productivity Language is productive or creative in that it makes possible the con struction and interpretation of young signals by its users. This is why they can produce and understand an infinitely large number of sentences, including sentences that they have never said or heard before.They can escape messages which no one else has ever sent before. Productivity is unique to human language. Most animal communication systems appear to be highly restricted with respect to the number of different signals that their users can send and receive. 3) Duality The duality nature of language means that language is a system, which consists of two sets of structure, or two levels, one of sounds and the other of meanings. At the lower or the basic level, there is the structure of sounds, which are meaningless, disc rete, individual sounds.But the sounds of language can be combined according to rules into units of meaning such as morphemes and words, which, at the higher level, can be arranged into sentences. This duality of structure or dou ble articulation of language enables its users to talk most anything within their knowledge. No animal communication system has duality or even comes near to possessing it. 4) Displacement Displacement means that language can be used to refer to things which are present or not present, real or imagined matters in the past, present, or future, or in far-away places.In other words, language can be used to refer to contexts removed from the immediate situations of the speaker. Animal calls are mainly uttered in response to immediate changes of situation. 5) Cultural transmittance Human beings were born with the ability to acquire language, but the details of any language are not genetically transmitted or passed down by instinct. They have to be taught a nd learned, but animal call systems are genetically trans mitted. 3. How do you understand the distinction between a synchronic study and a diachronic study?The description of a language at some point in time is a Synchronic study the de scription of a language as it changes through time is a diachronic study. A synchronic study of language describes a language as it is at some particular(a) point in time, while a diachronic study of language is the study of the historical development of language over a period of time. 4. wherefore does modern linguistics regard the spoken form of language as primary, not the written? First, the spoken form is prior to the writ ten form and most writing systems are derived from The spoken form of lan guage.Second, the spoken form presents a greater role than writing in terms of the meter of information conveyed and it serves a wider range of purposes finally, the spoken form is the medium through which we acquire our mother tongue. 5. What are the major distinctions between langue and unloose? The distinct, ion between langue, and unloosen was made by the famous Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure early this century. Langue refers to the solicit linguistic system shared by all the members of a quarrel community, and parole refers to the realization of langue in actual use.Langue is the set of conventions and rules which language users all have to follow while parole is the concrete use of the conventions and the application of the rules. Langue is abstract it is not the language people actually use, but parole is concrete it refers to the naturally occurring language events. Langue is relatively stable, it does not change frequently while parole varies from person to person, and from situation to situation. 6. (1) What if there were no language? (2) What if there were only one language the world over? (3) What can we learn from this Bible bosh? Language is powerful as a tool of human communication. 7. (1) What measures do you suggest for protecting dialects as well as languages? (2) Do you think that someday people all over the world will speak only one language, or someday no dialect will exist? 8. bed our pets learn human languages? Why or why not? No. They are genetically not endowed with the 9. What role does body language play in language commun