International Journal of Language and Linguistics最新文献

{"title":"Linguistic Problems in Light of General Semiotics","authors":"S. Abraham","doi":"10.11648/J.IJLL.20210904.20","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11648/J.IJLL.20210904.20","url":null,"abstract":"This article is based on several primary postulates. Here is the leading one: A science, called semiotics, which is rapidly developing before our eyes, has not yet developed a standard and acceptable scientific paradigm for most of its followers. It is interpreted in various ways by schools that have arisen in different countries, relying on completely different positions. The school from the Estonian city of Tartu, for example, is guided by the fact that all signs arose in inanimate nature and continued in the life of plants and all living beings, including humans. Thus, any cause leading to the same effect is a sign for this effect. The semiotic school in Gothenburg (Sweden) defends the thesis that images are the basis of all other sign formations. Many semioticians, following de Saussure, are convinced that linguistic signs are the leading and initial ones, and all other sign constructs follow them. The author of this work proceeds from the assumption that the symbolic storehouse contains signs for very different content and of very different origins. From natural signs that came to us from nature (we see smoke, it means something is burning; we hear thunder, it means that it is raining somewhere), to signs in mathematics, which all came from the human mind. Language constructions are included in this system along with signs of other types. None of these types is the leading and decisive one; all of them were born in the course of the development of human civilization, as the human spirit strengthened and developed. And each of them performs its own function – for example, images underlie all arts, and languages are called upon to explain everything and everyone. Therefore, each type of sign is specific, and all together they make up a complete set of tools with which we can understand the events taking place around us and influence them. A complete and deep explanation of the entire sphere of signs and sign systems is available only to general semiotics – it determines the place of each specific sign topic. This article is devoted to the definition of the possibilities of linguistic signs – it seems to be objective enough and it presents linguistic manifestations familiar to us in a new way. What is a word? What is grammar? What is lexicography? etc. But it presents them from a different point of view, from the point of view of semiotics.","PeriodicalId":352308,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language and Linguistics","volume":"82 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121628980","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Research on the Properties and Meaning of Quantifiers in Natural Language","authors":"Shi Jing","doi":"10.11648/J.IJLL.20210904.18","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11648/J.IJLL.20210904.18","url":null,"abstract":"Whether in daily communication or philosophical discussion, there are many expressions involving quantifiers. Quantifiers are popularly used in oral language. This paper discusses some basic problems of Quantifiers in philosophy and natural language. one side, Quantifiers are important in philosophical research as they are involves in the basic issues of epistemology, especially in those of relations, truth, universals and existence. But quantifiers in Chinese are very often omitted in expression. On the other hand, we discusses quantifiers from linguistic perspectives, and explains some characteristics of quantifiers and some significance of quantifier theory. Quantifier theory can provide theoretical support and explanation methods for language research. This paper shows how the knowledge of quantifier and quantification can help to realize the ways of their working in our language and to have a better understanding of their contributions to the above philosophical issues. The understanding of quantifier syntax and semantics is helpful for us to enrich logic theory and provide resources for the development of logic theory.","PeriodicalId":352308,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language and Linguistics","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131664579","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Study on the Influential Analysis of Cultural Context in English-Chinese Translation","authors":"Ningyi Li","doi":"10.11648/J.IJLL.20210904.19","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11648/J.IJLL.20210904.19","url":null,"abstract":"Language is not only part of culture but also the carrier of it, different languages are embedded in different culture, the fact requires translators to not only take culture into account but also reflect cultural context and social reality in the processing of translation. Therefore, translation is the conversion between two languages, but also the collision between two cultures. Material culture-loaded words contain national cultural elements, so it is a difficult problem in translation to accurately convey the cultural connotation of material culture-loaded words to readers. The strong or weak condition of a cross-cultural awareness and the degree of understanding culture contexts influence the quality of translation directly. In cultural translation, the translator should take language and culture into consideration. When the culture of the source language is close to the culture of the target language, the translator can adopt domestication strategy to increase the readability of the target language. When the culture of the source language is very different from the culture of the target language, the foreignization strategy can be used to increase the communication between cultures. Moreover, different cultural phenomena cause different translation strategies. Based on the analysis of differences and similarities between the Western and Chinese culture, it is mainly explored the various translation methods by focusing on culture context in English-Chinese translations.","PeriodicalId":352308,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language and Linguistics","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129481566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Pragmatic Approach to the Composition, Types, Functions and Interpretations of Chinese-specific Curse Guo Ma “ta ma de” and Its Variants","authors":"Yantao Zeng, Yuemei Liu","doi":"10.11648/J.IJLL.20210904.17","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11648/J.IJLL.20210904.17","url":null,"abstract":"Guo Ma (Chinese-specific cursing terms) is a type of scolding expressions widely spread in colloquial Chinese, expressing such emotion as dislike, grudge, indignation. Searching the internet reveals that, while there are many comments and essays about this kind of words, a theoretically systematical discussion of their construction, pragmatic and textual function is rare. This paper, based on corpus observation and questionnaire analysis, aims at exploring the composition, types, functions and pragmatic forces of Chinese-specific cursing terms ta ma de and its variants. It is revealed that: (1) There are eight main types of Chinese-specific cursing words in ta ma de and its variants; (2) These cursing terms under observation convey not only negative attitude and emotion as traditionally recognized but also neutral or even positive attitude and emotion; (3) Chinese national curse ta ma de and its variants are phrases used not only to perform the pragmatic function of swearing but also play a grammatical cognitive function. The researchers do not intend to offer a deliberate justification for these terms but show that they are not diabolic expressions and deserve a full attention of linguists.","PeriodicalId":352308,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language and Linguistics","volume":"41 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127416429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Use of Metaphors and Similes in Political Discourse in Ghana","authors":"Emmanuel A. Ofori, Charlotte Ogbedee Laryea, B. Kubi, Vera Yayrah Fiawornu","doi":"10.11648/J.IJLL.20210904.16","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11648/J.IJLL.20210904.16","url":null,"abstract":"In this study, we examine how ordinary citizens use metaphors and similes in their contributions to political discussions in Ghana. We argue that the use of these figurative language devices is a subtle means by which citizens expose politicians and question their competence in handling national issues. They also serve as means of minimizing direct vilification of politicians in the political space of Ghana. In fact, when metaphors and similes are employed within a particular discourse, one has to understand the context in which they have been used as well as the specific communicative function they convey in order to arrive at the desired interpretation. Using Lakoff and Johnson’s (1980) Conceptual Metaphor Theory, data collected from purposively selected and transcribed radio recordings as well as online commentaries, were critically analysed. The analysis revealed that ordinary citizens use metaphors and similes to surreptitiously expose the way and manner in which politicians run the country. Also, metaphors and similes serve as communication tools to mitigate the effect of otherwise direct attacks on politicians in Ghana. This study has implication for the relationship between political communication and society.","PeriodicalId":352308,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language and Linguistics","volume":"13 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121658969","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Correlative Study on Epistemic Modal Use and Tolerance of Ambiguity: Based on Functionalist Theories in Second Language Acquisition","authors":"Lai Peng","doi":"10.11648/J.IJLL.20210904.15","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11648/J.IJLL.20210904.15","url":null,"abstract":"Given the importance of epistemic modal use in academic writing, this study aims to investigate how well Chinese PhD students use English epistemic modals and whether their achievement in using English epistemic modals is correlated with their degree of Tolerance of Ambiguity (TOA) as a learning style. Fill-in-the-blank exercises were designed to test the participants’ use of epistemic modal verbs in English. Based on theories about matching, embedding and form-function mapping in second language learning, this study analyzed the errors that participants made when they chose modal forms in English to express epistemic functions/meanings conveyed by Chinese modal verb “会” (hui) in different syntactic contexts. A questionnaire survey was conducted to measure the participants’ degree of TOA and IBM SPSS 26.0 was used for statistical calculation of the correlation coefficient between the participants’ scores of TOA and their scores in using epistemic modal verbs. It was found that the degree of TOA is significantly correlated with epistemic modal use, i.e., the less tolerant of ambiguity a participant was, the less successfully he/she did in using epistemic modal verbs. The results of this study carry implications for language teaching and indicate the necessity of enhancing acquisition of epistemic modality and raising students’ tolerance of ambiguity.","PeriodicalId":352308,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language and Linguistics","volume":"99 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127109985","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Multidimensional Analysis of Letters to the Shareholders by Chinese and American Advanced Equipment Manufacturing Companies","authors":"Liao Shunzhu","doi":"10.11648/J.IJLL.20210904.14","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11648/J.IJLL.20210904.14","url":null,"abstract":"Initially proposed by Biber, the multidimensional analysis is used to examine the linguistic variation among different registers, shedding light on the linguistic features and differences among different genres. Through the tool of MAT, this study compared the register features in the letters to the shareholders by Chinese and American advanced equipment manufacturing companies (AEMCs). It is found that: 1) the letters to the shareholders by Chinese and American AEMCs are both informational, non-narrative, contextually independent, non-overt in expressing views, abstract and well-planned, belonging to the text type of learned exposition; 2) In comparison, the letters to the shareholders by Chinese AEMCs are relatively more informational, narrative and abstract, but less dependent on context and lower in on-line informational elaboration while letters by American AEMCs show more features of interaction with the readers, focusing on the present actions, context-dependence and on-line informational elaboration; 3) The key linguistic features that account for these differences include nouns, nominalizations, first-person pronouns, present tense verbs, past tense verbs, phrasal coordination, phrasal coordination, prediction modals, conjuncts, passives, demonstratives and that-clauses. 4) The future Return on Equity (ROE) of the Chinese AEMCs is related to the dimensions of “explicit/context-dependent references” and “on-line informational elaboration”. 5) In comparison to the previous study, industry is found to have an effect on the linguistic variation of letters to the shareholders. This study gave a comprehensive view of the linguistic features and differences in the letters to the shareholders by Chinese and American AEMCs and had some pedagogical implications for business English teaching and learning.","PeriodicalId":352308,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language and Linguistics","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122897203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lexical Anglicisms in the Era of Economic Globalization: A Sociolinguistic Analysis","authors":"Angelo Cece","doi":"10.11648/J.IJLL.20210904.13","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11648/J.IJLL.20210904.13","url":null,"abstract":"The future of a language is characterized by the interaction of different subjects, which favour their expansion, preservation, limitation or even extinction. The number of speakers, communication context and large economic blocs of the superpowers and transnational enterprises, determine the main factors of language change. Despite the interest of the more developed nation states in protecting minority languages, the policies of the supranational self-government cause the evolution or cultural and linguistic loss of communities. Of course English is dominant, but few other languages are gaining a greater relevant role in the global communication. English was the international language of communication in last century, but globalization effects are opening new scenarios. The economic and financial relations among different states have facilitated the spread of the most productive countries. The languages of supranational states have assumed a more prominent value in the international relations. In this respect, the global market has developed an identity, a feeling and a consciousness sense, which have interrupted the absolutely cultural and linguistic hegemony of English. Nevertheless Italian and Spanish languages have been affected by an increase of anglicisms. The written interactions between the two Romances languages with English is often manifested with cases of lexical importation or substitutions. In any case, economic globalization and new technologies have intensified contacts. In one hand, they have spread the language and culture of a few populations. In other hand, they have significantly limited their use to the others. As mentioned above, we consider that the spread of a language mostly depends on three factors: 1) The quantitative sizes of human groups, 2) The economic power of the large states and 3) The area in which a language is stated, as a vehicle of communication. With regard to Romance languages, we understand the reasons because Spanish is growing exponentially. To the large number of Spanish speakers, the Hispanic bloc, in terms of human potential and natural resources, and the function of vehicular language in various communicative contexts.","PeriodicalId":352308,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language and Linguistics","volume":"15 3 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129249244","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Among Tare and Luffing with the Sonoran Fishermen","authors":"Raúl Aristides Pérez Aguilar","doi":"10.11648/J.IJLL.20210903.19","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11648/J.IJLL.20210903.19","url":null,"abstract":"Studies on the fishing lexicon in Mexico are non-existent. There are only some works done in very delimited areas with a fishing tradition that have served as input to develop this research. For that reason I have undertaken this task of compiling those terms that were used and are still used by fishermen in the Mexican state of Sonora. This article describes the lexical particularities of the marine speeches of the state of Sonora collected in situ by applying a questionnaire of more than 380 questions to 22 fishermen from 11 populations located in just over 950 kilometers of the 1207 coastline with that the entity has. Of the various names given in this specialized language, only a portion of the ten centers of interest into which the questionnaire was divided is presented, together with the rigorous considerations that have arisen in light of the lexical variation offered by some voices. The analysis of the collected terms shows vernacular lexical plots and also the influence of English and French, as well as the formation of metaphors, voices of Amerindian origin, a rare phonetic phenomenon and new terms by composition and derivation. Finally, a table is added in which various Sonoran terms are compared with others collected in other latitude.","PeriodicalId":352308,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language and Linguistics","volume":"104 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115086517","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An Overview of Etulo: An Idomoid Language","authors":"C. I. Ezenwafor-Afuecheta, Inyani Adams","doi":"10.11648/j.ijll.20210903.20","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20210903.20","url":null,"abstract":"Etulo is an Idomoid language spoken in two Nigerian states: Taraba and Benue. This work gives an overview of the core linguistic features of Etulo as spoken in Benue state. At the phonological level, we highlight the Etulo sound system, its tonal features, syllable structure and the most common phonological processes attested. At the morphological level, we focus on its derivational morphology which involves morphological processes such as affixation, reduplication and compounding. We give a list of the identified word classes with emphasis on the noun and verbal system. Also discussed, are grammatical features which are considered areal such as its rich class of ideophones and verb serialization. Our findings show that Etulo shares some core structural features with other Idomoid languages such as Idoma. The data used for this study are obtained from Etulo language consultants who are native speakers. We adopt a descriptive approach in the analysis of the Etulo language data.","PeriodicalId":352308,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Language and Linguistics","volume":"61 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124748983","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}