What are the two categories of meaning of lang
问题详情
What are the two categories of meaning of language proposed by Wilkins? What is the distinction between the two terms?
参考答案
正确答案:
The two categories of meaning of language proposed by Wilkins are "notions" and "functions". "Notions" are domains in which we use language to express thought and feeling. They are both general and specific. General notions are abstract concepts such as existence, space, time, quantity and quality. Within the general notion of space and time, for example, are the concepts of location, motion, dimension, speed and length of time and frequency. Specific notions correspond more closely to what we have become accustomed to calling "contexts" or " situations". Personal identification, for example, is a specific notion under which name, address, phone numbers, and other personal information is subsumed. "Functions" refer to the purposes for which utterances or units of language are used. In language learning, language functions are often described as categories of behavior; e. g. requests, apologies, complaints, offers and compliments.