@ S.A. Zhabotynska.

General linguistics: A lecture course for graduate students.

Cherkasy : Bohdan Khmelnistky National University in Cherkasy, 2015

Lecture 1 linguistics as the study of language: a general survey

Plan

1. GENERAL LINGUISTICS

   1. General linguistics and its basic questions

   2. Linguistics vs. traditional grammar

   3. Scope of linguistics

2. LANGUAGE AS THE SYSTEM OF SIGNS

   1. Signs in semiotics

      1. Constituents of semiosis

      2. Types of signs

   2. Specificity of language as the system of signs

   3. Human language vs. animal communication

   4. Functions of language

   5. Origin of language

Cognitive map

Constituents of semiosis

• Designation

• Construal

• Signification

• Interpretation

Types of signs

• Designation aspect

• Signification aspect

SEMIOTICS

SIGNS

• Definition

• Functions

GENERAL

LINGUISTICS

• Definition

• Basic questions

LANGUAGE:

THE SYSTEM OF SIGNS

• Definition

• Basic questions

Vs. Vs. Traditional grammar Signs of animal communication

Scope of linguistics

Functions of language

Origin of language

General linguistics

1. General linguistics and its basic questions

Linguistics is the scientific study of language, or the discipline that describes language in all its aspects and formulates theories as to how it works. While the studies of individual languages (English, Ukrainian, Chinese, etc.) focus on their particular characteristics, general / theoretical linguistics aims to determine the characteristics of human language as a phenomenon, and to establish universal principles for the analysis of all languages.

General linguistics considers such basic questions:

• What is language? How is it organized?

• What do all languages have in common?

• What are the differences between languages?

• Why do humans talk, or what is the origin of language? How does a child learn to speak?

• What are the differences between human language and animal communication?

• In what forms did languages exist before? How do languages change through time? Why do languages change?

• How does one write down the spoken language?

• How is language used for successful interaction?

• How is language related to thought?

• How does language reflect social and cultural differences?

• How can we simulate language and its workings in computers?

A person who studies linguistics, or a linguistics expert, is called a linguist. A more accurate term is a ‘linguistician’, as the word ‘linguist’ has one more meaning – a person proficient in more than one language. Linguists need not be fluent in languages, though they must be knowledgeable about the systems of languages, and capable of explaining various linguistic phenomena.

(+ Aitchison, p. 3-4)

1.2. Linguistics vs. Traditional grammar

Linguistics differs from traditional grammar in three principal aspects:

1. Linguistics describes language; it does not prescribe the rules of its ‘correctness’, which is the task of traditional grammar. The notion of absolute and unchanging ‘correctness’ is quite foreign to linguists. They are interested in any linguistic form, be it ‘standard’ or ‘non-standard’.

2. Linguists regard the spoken language as primary and therefore more important than the written language. Traditional grammar over-stresses the importance of the written word, which is ‘permanent’ and recorded in the classical works of the ‘best authors’.

3. Traditional grammarians tend to consider Latin grammar as a universal framework into which the descriptions of all languages fit. To linguists, it is unthinkable to judge one language by the standards of another. Linguists try to expose a universal framework which is shared by all languages, but which does not belong to a particular language.

(+ Aitchison, p. 4-7)