After-class Exercises for Chapter 1 Introduction

After-class Exercises

for Chapter 1 Introduction

I. Directions: Read each of the following statements carefully. Decide which one of the four choices best completes the statement and put the letter A, B, C, or D in the brackets.

1. Linguistics is the scientific study of __________.

A. a particular language B. the English language

C. human languages in general language

D. the system of a particular

2. As modern linguistics aims to describe and analyze the language people actually use, and not to lay down rules for “correct” linguistic behavior, it is said to be __________.

A. prescriptive B. sociolinguistic

C. descriptive D. psycholinguistic

3. The __________ study of language studies the historical development of language over a period of time, and it is a historical study.

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A. prescriptive B. synchronic

C. descriptive D. diachronic

4. Modern linguistics focuses on the present-day language, and it will be possible to describe language from a __________ point of view.

A. prescriptive B. synchronic

C. descriptive D. diachronic

5. The fact that different languages have different words for the same object is good proof that human language is __________.

A. arbitrary B. non-arbitrary

C. logical D. non-productive

6. The famous quotation from Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet” “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” well illustrates __________.

A. the conventional nature of language

B. the creative nature of language

C. the universality of language

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D. the big difference between human language and animal communication

7. Which of the following is not a design feature of human language?

A. Arbitrariness B. Displacement

C. Duality D. Meaningfulness

8. Modern linguistics regards the written language as __________.

A. primary B. correct

C. secondary D. stable

9. In modern linguistics, speech is regarded as more basic than writing, because __________.

A. in linguistic evolution, speech is prior to writing.

B. speech plays a greater role than writing in terms of the amount of information conveyed.

C. speech is always the way in which every native speaker acquires his mother tongue.

D. All of the above.

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10. Saussure took a(n) __________ view of language, while Chomsky looks at language from a __________ point of view.

A. sociological/psychological B. psychological/sociological

C. applied/pragmatic D. semantic/linguistic

11. Chomsky uses the term __________ to refer to the actual realization of a language user’s knowledge of the rules of his language in linguistic communication.

A. langue B. competence

C. parole D. performance

12. According to F. de Saussure, __________ refers to the abstract linguistic system shared by all the members of a speech community.

A. parole B. performance

C. langue D. Language

13. Language can be used to refer to contexts removed from the immediate situations of the speaker. This feature is called __________.

A. displacement

B. duality

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C. flexibility D. cultural transmission

14. The details of any language system is passed on from one generation to the next through __________, rather than by instinct.

A. learning B. teaching

C. books D. both A and B

15. __________ answers such questions as how we as infants acquire our first language.

A. Psycholinguistics B. Anthrolinguistics

C. Sociolinguistics D. Applied linguistics

II. Directions: Judge whether each of the following statements is true or false. Put a T for true or F for false in the brackets in front of each statement. If you think a statement is false, you are required to give the correct version.

1. Linguistics studies particular language, not languages in general.

2. A scientific study of language is based on what the linguist thinks.

3. Both semantics and pragmatics study meanings.

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4. Modern linguistics is mostly prescriptive, but sometimes descriptive.

5. The distinction between langue and parole was proposed by the Swiss linguist F. de Saussure. Langue refers to the abstract linguistic system shared by all the members of a speech community while parole refers to the concrete use of conventions and rules, thus varying from person to person.

6. Language can be studied both synchronically and diachronically. The two approaches are equally favored by modern linguists.

7. Modern linguistics regards the written language as primary, not the spoken.

8. Speech and writing are the two major media of language. All languages in the world today can be both spoken and written.

9. The writing system of a language is always a later invention used to record speech; thus there are still many languages in today’s world that can only be spoken, but not written.

10. Human capacity for language has a genetic basis, i.e. we are all born with the ability to acquire language and the details of a language system are genetically transmitted.

III. Directions: Define the following terms.

1. prescriptive vs. descriptive (P4)

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2. synchronic vs. diachronic (P5)

3. langue and parole (P6)

4. competence and performance (P7)

5. language (P9)

IV. Answer the following questions.

1. What makes modern linguistics different from traditional grammar? (P4)

2. Discuss the design features of human language that distinguish it from animal communication systems. (P11-13)

Keys to After-class Exercises

I.

1-5 C C D B A 6-10 A D C D A 11-15 D C A D A

II.

错误的为1 2 4 6 7 8 10，其余正确。

III、IV略

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