4. The syntactic rules of any language are _____ in number, and yet there is no limit to the number of sentences native speakers of that language are able to produce and comprehend.
10. In general, children have virtually acquired the basic fabric of their native language at the age of _____.
A.two
B.three
C.four
D.five
A B C D
D
[解析] 总体而言,儿童实际上在五六岁时就掌握了母语的基本结构。故选D项。
PART TWO
Ⅱ.Directions:Fill in the blank in each of the following statemengs with one word, the letter of which is already given as a clue
1. While human capacity for language has a genetic basis, the details of any language system are not genetically transmitted, but instead c_____ transmitted.
2. The short vowels are all lax vowels and the long vowels are all t_____ vowels.
tense
[解析] 短元音是松元音,发音时不需要紧绷肌肉;长元音是紧元音,发音时需要紧绷肌肉。
3. The combination of two or sometimes more than two words to create new words are called c_____.
compounding
[解析] 将两个或两个以上单词合在一起的构词法叫做合成法。
4. Such words as“that”, “if” and “until”, which function as introductory words in most embedded clauses, are called s_____.
subordinator
[解析] that、if和until等词在多数嵌入式从句中作为引导词,它们是主从连词。
5. S_____ is concerned with the inherent meaning of the linguistic form, which is abstract and independent from context.
Semantics
[解析] 语义学关注语言形式的原本意义,其是抽象并脱离语境的。
6. “Do not say what you believe to be false” is required by the maxim of q_____ under the cooperative principle
quality
[解析] “不要说你认为错误的事情”是合作原则下质量原则的要求。
7. In the course of the historical development of English, a change that involves the insertion of a consonant or vowel sound to the middle of a word is known as e_____.
epenthesis
[解析] 在英语的发展过程中,在单词中间插入一个辅音或元音叫做插音。
8. A pidginized dialect may expand and has eventually become the native language of a certain population, which is then called a c_____.
creole
[解析] 一种洋泾浜方言可能扩展,最终成为某一特定人群的母语,这时它又叫克里奥语。
9. Linguistic l_____ is the brain's neurological specialization for language.
lateralization
[解析] 语言侧化指的是大脑神经处有专门的语言区,位于左脑。
10. According to the a_____ view, the acquisition of a second language involves, and is dependent on, the acquisition of the culture of the target language community.
acculturation
[解析] 根据文化适应的观点,第二语言的习得包含并依赖目标语群体文化的习得。
Ⅲ.Directions:Judge whether each of the following statements is true or false
1. General linguistics deals with the basic concepts, theories, descriptions, models and methods applicable in any linguistic study.
T
[解析] 普通语言学涉及适用于任何语言研究的基本概念、理论、描述,模式和方法。
2. The speech sound [k] can be described as voiced, velar, stop.
F The speech sound [k] can be described as voiceless, velar, stop.
[解析] [k]为清辅音,不是浊辅音。
3. Morphemes that manifest various grammatical relations or grammatical categories such as number, tense, degree, and case are called derivational morphemes.
F Morphemes that manifest various grammatical relations or grammatical categories such as number, tense, degree, and case are called inflectional morphemes.
4. Generally speaking, major lexical categories are open categories and minor lexical categories are closed categories.
T
[解析] 总体而言,主要此类是开放词类,次要词类是封闭词类。
5. The sense relation between the word flower and the words rose, tulip and carnation is called homonymy.
F The sense relation between the word flower and the words rose, tulip and carnation is called hyponymy.
[解析] flower包含rose、tulip和carnation,它们是上下义关系。
6. Speech act theory aims to answer the question “What do we do when using language?”
T
[解析] 言语行为理论旨在回答“我们使用语言时做了哪些行为?”这个问题。
7. In view of a language as a self-regulating semiotic system, internal borrowing well explains sound change for the purpose of minimizing memorization burdens and maximizing communicative efficiency.
9. Most scholars accept the weaker version of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and recognize that language determines the way human beings perceive the objective world.
F Most scholars accept the weaker version of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and recognize that language does not so much determine the way human beings perceive the objective world.
[解析] 许多学者认同萨丕尔-沃尔夫假设的温和版本,认为语言并不完全决定人们认识客观世界的方式。
10. Practical experience suggests that interference from the mother tongue is the only or major source of errors.
F Practical experience suggests that interference from the mother tongue is not the only or major source of errors.
[解析] 实践表明母语干扰不是错误的唯一来源或主要来源。
Ⅳ.Directions:Explain the following terms and give examples for illustration where appropriate
1. displacement
Displacement is one of the design features of language, which means that language can refer to contexts removed from the immediate situation of the speaker. Thus we talk about things, free from barriers caused by separation in time and place. But animal calls are mainly uttered in response to immediate changes of situation.
2. phonetics
Phonetics refer to the study the sounds that are used in linguistic communication, including articulatory phonetics which studies the way sounds are produced, acoustic phonetics which studies the physical means by which speech sounds are transmitted through the air from one person to another and auditory phonetics that studies the speech sounds from the hearer's point of view. It studies how the sounds are perceived by the hearer.
3. morphological rules
Morphological rules refer to rules that govern which affix can be added to what type of stem to form a new word. For example, the suffix “-ly” can be added to an adjective to form its corresponding adverb, e.g. happy+-ly>happily, notable+-ly>notably.
4. syntax
Syntax is the study that focuses on how morphemes and words are combined to form sentences, including a system of rules, category and structure, universal grammar and so-on.
5. componential analysis
Componential analysis is a way proposed by the structural semanticists to analyze word meaning. The approach is based on the belief that the meaning of a word can be dissected into meaning components, called semantic features. For example, the word “man” is analyzed as comprising the features of +HUMAN+ADULT+ANIMATE+MALE.
6. utterance meaning
Utterance meaning refers to the realization of the abstract meaning of a sentence in a real situation of communication, or simply a context. For example, the literal meaning of My bag is heavy is that there are a lot of things in the bag, but the utterance meaning can be “My bag is heavy and I can't help you” or “I bought lots of things and don't need any more”.
7. historical linguistics
Historical linguistics is the subfield of linguistics that studies language change., which is concerned with the historical development of languages and the processes involved in language change. Historical linguisticslook into the nature of language change and the causes that lead to language change. They also explore methods and techniques with which they can reconstruct linguistic history and establish the relationship between languages that belong to the same language family.
8. euphemism
Euphemism refers to the mild, indirect or less offensive word or expression substitute when the speaker or writer fears more direct wording might be harsh, unpleasantly direct, or offensive, which comes from the Greek word euphemismos, meaning “to speak with good words”. For example, “senior citizen” is the euphemism of “old man”.
9. cerebral cortex
Cerebral cortex refers to the area of the outside surface of the brain that is the decision-making organ of the body, receiving messages from all the sensory organs and initiating all voluntary actions. Many of the cognitive abilities that distinguish humans from other mammals, such as sophisticated reasoning, linguistic skills, and musical ability, are believed to reside in the cortex.
10. fossilization
Fossilization is a phenomenon of second language acquisition (SLA) in which second language learners develop and retain a linguistic system, or interlanguage, that is self-contained and different from both the learner's first language and the target language. For example, some Chinese learners use “he” invariably for both “he” and “she”, which is a kind of fossilization.
Ⅴ.Directions:Answer the following questions
1. Illustrate the recursiveness of phrase structure rules with examples.
The recursiveness of phrase structure rules refers to the fact that these rules can generate an infinite number of sentences, and sentences with infinite length.A conclusion is drawn that “An S contains a VP that may contain another S; a VP may include an S that contains another VP; a PP consists of an NP that may be followed by another PP; and an NP may take a PP that includes an NP and /or an S!”These rules are suffice to explain how language is “creative” and how speakers with finite minds have the ability to produce and understand an infinite set of sentences. For example, a sentence can go like this: Yesterday morning I met an old man wearing blue shirts on the street of Linda's home which is just five-minutes’ walk form our school where we have many good friends and teachers majoring in different fields that...
2. What is a lingua franca? Explain whether English is an international lingua franca.
A lingua franca is a variety of language that serves as a medium of communication among groups of people for diverse linguistic backgrounds. For this reason, a lingua franca must be an agree-upon “common tongue” used by people thrown into social contact for various purposes. The term lingua franca derives from a hybrid language, consisting of Italian term mixed with French, Spanish, Greek, Arabic, and Turkish, used especially by traders in the eastern Mediterranean ports in medieval times. A lingua franca may, but does not need to, be a native language currently spoken by a particular people. (2) English is an international lingua franca which is used in numerous social and political situations where a common language is asked for. For example, English has become a lingua franca for international scientific journals and international scientific meetings, a common means of communication by which scientific results are presented. Thus, at a multinational or international conference, English functions as the lingua franca used for presenting scholarly papers.
PART ONE
Ⅰ.Directions:Read each of the following statements