首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
"Speech and Writing" One of the basic assumptions of modern linguistics is that speech is primary and writing is secondary. T
"Speech and Writing" One of the basic assumptions of modern linguistics is that speech is primary and writing is secondary. T
admin
2018-07-24
118
问题
"Speech and Writing"
One of the basic assumptions of modern linguistics is that speech is primary and writing is secondary. The most immediate manifestation of language is speech and not writing. Writing is simply the representation of speech in another physical medium. Spoken language encodes thought into a physically transmittable form, while writing, in turn, encodes spoken language into a physically preservable form. Writing is a three-stage process: thinking of an idea, expressing it in mental grammar, and then transferring it to written form. All units of writing, whether letters or characters, are based on units of speech, i.e., words, sounds, or syllables. When linguists study language, therefore, they take the spoken language as their best source of data and their object of description except in instances of languages like Latin for which there are no longer any speakers.
You may think that with the advent of so many "instant messaging" programs, writing can now be as immediate as speech. But it is important to remember that even though the written form can be nearly immediate these days, there is still an extra step between conceptualizing the message you want to communicate and the reception of that idea, if you have to write it—regardless of whether you do so longhand or type it into a computer.
There are several reasons for maintaining that speech is primary and writing is secondary. A Writing is a later historical development than spoken language. B Archeological evidence indicates that writing was first utilized in Sumer, that is, modern-day Iraq, about 6,000 years ago. C As far as physical and cultural anthropologists can tell, spoken language has probably been used by humans for hundreds of thousands of years. D
Writing does not exist everywhere that spoken language does. This seems hard to imagine in our highly literate society, but the fact is that there are still many communities in the world where a written form of language is not used. Even in those cultures using a writing system, there are individuals who fail to learn the written form of their language. In fact, the majority of the Earth’s inhabitants are illiterate, though quite capable of spoken communication. However, no society uses only a written language with no spoken form.
Writing must be taught, whereas spoken language is acquired automatically. All children, except children with serious learning disabilities, naturally learn to speak the language of the community in which they are brought up. They acquire the basics of their native language before they enter school, and even if they never attend school, they become fully competent speakers. Writing systems vary in complexity, but regardless of their level of sophistication, they must all be taught.
Neurolinguistic evidence (studies of the brain in action during language use) demonstrates that the processing and production of written language is overlaid on the spoken language centers in the brain. Spoken language involves several distinct areas of the brain; writing uses these areas and others as well.
Despite all this evidence, it is a widely held misconception that writing is more perfect than speech. To many people, writing somehow seems more correct and more stable, whereas speech can be careless, corrupted, and susceptible to change. Some people even go so far as to identify "language" with writing and to regard speech as a secondary form of language used imperfectly to approximate the ideals of the written language.
What gives rise to the misconception that writing is more perfect than speech? There are several reasons. Writing can be edited, and so the product of writing is usually more aptly worded and better organized, containing fewer errors, hesitations, and incomplete sentences than are found in speech. This "perfection of writing" can be explained by the fact that writing is the result of deliberation, correction, and revision, while speech is the spontaneous and simultaneous formulation of ideas; writing is therefore less subject to the constraint of time than speech is. Writing must be taught and is therefore ultimately associated with education and educated speech. Since the speech of the educated is more often than not set up as the "standard language," writing is associated indirectly with the varieties of language that people tend to view as "correct." However, the association of writing with the standard variety is not a necessary one, as evidenced by the attempts of writers to transcribe faithfully the speech of their characters. Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men contain examples of this. Writing is more physically stable than spoken language, which consists of nothing more than sound waves traveling through the air, and is therefore ephemeral and transient. Writing tends to last, because of its physical medium (characters on some surface), and can be preserved for a very long time. Spelling does not seem to vary from individual to individual or from place to place as easily as pronunciation does. Thus, writing has the appearance of being more stable especially in the modern era. Of course, spelling does vary, as exemplified by the differences between the American ways of spelling gray and words with the suffixes -ize and -ization as compared with the British spelling of grey and -ise and -isation. Writing could also change if it were made to follow the changes of speech. The fact that people at various times try to carry out spelling reforms amply illustrates this possibility.
Complete the table by matching the phrases on the left with the headings on the right. Select the appropriate answer choices and drag them to the type of language to which they relate. TWO of the answer choices will NOT be used. This question is worth 4 points.
To delete an answer choice, click on it. To see the passage, click on View Text.
Answer Choices
A Not observable in brain activity B A primary form of language C Direct representation of thought D A two-stage process E An earlier development F Associated with education G Contains fewer errors H No regional variations I Acquired naturally
Speech
-
-
-
-Writing
-
-
-
选项
答案
Speech: B, C, E, I Writing: D, F, G Not used: A, H
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/c3fO777K
0
托福(TOEFL)
相关试题推荐
Completetheflowchartbelow.WriteNOMORETHANTWOWORDSforeachanswer.ExpertiseincreativewritingB
Choosethecorrectletter,A,BorC.AdviceonwritingadissertationWhatdoesHowardsaywashismainworryayearpreviousl
Whichattitudeisassociatedwiththefollowingpeopleduringtheconversation?ChooseSIXanswersfromtheboxandwritetheco
Completethenotesbelow.WriteNOMORETHANTWOWORDSforeachanswer.CLIMATEANDARCHITECTURECasesandexamplesarefrompra
Choosethecorrectletter,A,BorC.MuseumofAnthropologyThemuseumisfamousforitscollectionofculturalitemsfrom
Choosethecorrectletter,A,BorC.Alisathinksthatfamoussuccessfulpeople
PatentsandInventionsWhenaninventionismade,theinventorhasthreepossiblecoursesofactionopentohim:first,hec
PatentsandInventionsWhenaninventionismade,theinventorhasthreepossiblecoursesofactionopentohim:first,hec
随机试题
休克失代偿期的主要微循环变化是()
A.促进胃排空,增强胃窦和十二指肠运动B.减少胃酸和胃蛋白酶分泌C.促进胃黏膜血流,刺激胃黏液分泌D.防止氢离子反渗,促进胃黏液分泌E.减少胃酸分泌,延缓胃排空吗丁啉能
初产妇自觉胎动,多数开始于
本案一审法院决定适用简易程序是否正确?原因是什么?如果再审法院发现原审遗漏了必须参加诉讼的当事人汇远公司,则法院应当如何处理?
下列关于鉴定人与证人的说法错误的是:()
依据设计合同的规定,对于因设计错误而造成的工程重大质量事故、损失严重的,设计人应承担的违约责任为()。
阅读下面材料,根据要求写作。成长是美丽的,它一路走着,一路抛洒着缤纷的花朵;成长是神奇的,它引领着我们,去创造一个又一个生命的奇迹;成长又是忧伤的,它意味着一次次告别的仪式,和亲人,和自己……以“成长”为话题,写一篇不少于800字的文章。
(2016·广东)学生中常见的焦虑反应是()
某件刺绣产品,需要效率相当的三名绣工8天才能完成;绣品完成50%时,一人有事提前离开,绣品由剩下的两人继续完成;绣品完成75%时,又有一人离开,绣品由最后剩下的那个人做完。那么,完成该件绣品一共用了()。
某燃气公司按以下规定收取燃气费:如果用气量不超过60立方米,按每立方米0.8元收费,如果用气量超过60立方米,则超过部分按每立方米1.2元收费。某用户8月份交的燃气费平均每立方米0.88元,则该用户8月份的燃气费是( )。
最新回复
(
0
)