Lexically specific units,i.e.,formulaic frames(Where's Daddy? What's Mummy doing?) and frames with slots(e.g.Where's NP? Do you want to VP?) are known to play a central role in language acquisition.Could s...Lexically specific units,i.e.,formulaic frames(Where's Daddy? What's Mummy doing?) and frames with slots(e.g.Where's NP? Do you want to VP?) are known to play a central role in language acquisition.Could such mechanisms also account for adult production? I argue that the types of representations and production mechanisms that constructivist language researchers have postulated for children can also explain the basic mode of adult language use,i.e.informal conversation.Viewing adult language in such terms not only captures the continuity between child and adult usage,but also helps to explain how speakers are able to produce and understand language as fast as they do: using preconstructed chunks saves processing effort.Arguably,adults also have more abstract linguistic representations.These,however,are acquired relatively late in acquisition,largely as a result of experience with written texts,and may not be acquired by all speakers.展开更多
The history of language study shows widely different attitudes concerning the relationship between spoken and written language. After a person's born,he or she learns spoken language before learning written langua...The history of language study shows widely different attitudes concerning the relationship between spoken and written language. After a person's born,he or she learns spoken language before learning written language; therefore,many linguists consider written language a written form of spoken language,the function of which is to record the human sounds. Meanwhile,for centuries,the written language held a preeminent place. It was the medium of literature,which was felt to provide language with permanence and authority (David Crystal,2002). Therefore,what are the general differences between spoken and written language to make them present totally different functions? Accordingly,this essay will compare spoken language and written language to identify their general differences in three aspects.展开更多
文摘Lexically specific units,i.e.,formulaic frames(Where's Daddy? What's Mummy doing?) and frames with slots(e.g.Where's NP? Do you want to VP?) are known to play a central role in language acquisition.Could such mechanisms also account for adult production? I argue that the types of representations and production mechanisms that constructivist language researchers have postulated for children can also explain the basic mode of adult language use,i.e.informal conversation.Viewing adult language in such terms not only captures the continuity between child and adult usage,but also helps to explain how speakers are able to produce and understand language as fast as they do: using preconstructed chunks saves processing effort.Arguably,adults also have more abstract linguistic representations.These,however,are acquired relatively late in acquisition,largely as a result of experience with written texts,and may not be acquired by all speakers.
文摘The history of language study shows widely different attitudes concerning the relationship between spoken and written language. After a person's born,he or she learns spoken language before learning written language; therefore,many linguists consider written language a written form of spoken language,the function of which is to record the human sounds. Meanwhile,for centuries,the written language held a preeminent place. It was the medium of literature,which was felt to provide language with permanence and authority (David Crystal,2002). Therefore,what are the general differences between spoken and written language to make them present totally different functions? Accordingly,this essay will compare spoken language and written language to identify their general differences in three aspects.
