本书是陈新仁《英语语言学实用教程》教材的学习辅导书，主要包括以下内容：

1．整理名校笔记，浓缩内容精华。在参考了国内外名校名师讲授该教材的课堂笔记基础上，复习笔记部分对该章的重难点进行了整理，因此，本书的内容几乎浓缩了该教材的知识精华。

2．解析课后习题，提供参考答案。本书参考了该教材的国内外配套资料和其他教材的相关知识对该教材的课（章）后习题进行了分析和解答，并对相关重要知识点进行了延伸和归纳。

1.1　复习笔记

本章要点：

1. The functions of language 语言的功能

2. The defining features of language 语言的区别性特征

3. The origin of language 语言的起源

4. The acquisition of language 语言的习得

本章考点：

语言的功能，语言的起源，语言的区别性特征及语言习得等。

本章内容索引：

. The languages of the world

. The functions of language

1. Phatic

2. Directive

3. Informative

4. Interrogative

5. Expressive

6. Evocative

7. Performative

. The defining features of language

1. Arbitrariness

2. Duality

3. Creativity

4. Displacement

5. Cultural Transmission

. The origin of language

1. The bow-wow theory

2. The pooh-pooh theory

3. The ding-dong theory

4. The yo-he-ho theory

5. The ta-ta theory

6. The ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay theory

. The acquisition of language

1. Features of language acquisition

2. Stages of language acquisition

. The languages of the world（世界上的语言）

There are some 6, 800 known languages spoken in 200 countries of the world.

世界上共有6800多种语言，被200多个国家的人们所使用。

There are over 100 language families in the world.

世界上共有一百多个语系。

. The functions of language（语言的功能）

1. Phatic: Hello.

寒暄功能。例：你好。

2. Directive: Get out of my way.

指令功能。例：滚开！

3. Informative: The earth revolves around the sun.

信息功能。例：地球围着太阳转。

4. Interrogative: Do you know his hobby?

询问功能。例：你知道他的爱好吗？

5. Expressive: I hate her.

表达功能。例：我讨厌她。

6. Evocative: How do you like Jack?

感情功能。例：你觉得杰克怎么样？

7. Performative: I hereby declare the meeting open.

施为功能。例：我特此宣布会议开始。

. The defining features of language（语言的区别性特征）

1. Arbitrariness（任意性）

As a symbolic unit, a word has both form and meaning. As a rule, the relation between the form and the meaning, however, is arbitrary. In other words, there is no inherent connection between the form and the meaning.

作为象征性符号，单词拥有形式和意义。然而，通常形式和意义之间的关系是任意的，换言之，二者之间没有内在联系。

2. Duality（二重性）

Language operates at two levels: at the lower level, language consists of a bunch of meaningless elements; at the higher level, the meaningless elements combine to form meaningful units like words.

二重性是指语言拥有两层结构的属性，在底层结构，语言含有一系列无意义的音素；在上层结构，这些无意义的符号组成有意义的单位，如单词等。

3. Creativity（创造性）

“Creativity”, sometimes also called “productivity”, means the property which makes possible the construction and interpretation of new symbols, i.e. of signals that have not been previously encountered.

创造性指语言的能产性，它能够使人造出和理解许多新符号，其中很多是以前从未听过的。

4. Displacement（移位性）

Language can be used to talk about what happened in the past, what is happening at present, or what will happen in the future. Also, we can use language to refer to things no matter how far away they are or whether they are present or absent.

移位性是指人类语言可以让使用者在交际时用语言符号代表时间上和空间上并不可及的物体、事件和观点，超越过去、现在和将来。