A language is a signaling system which operates with symbolic vocal sounds (语声), and which is used by a group of people for the purpose of communication. 8 u! ~/ I( J. Y! u! V9 @
Let’s look at this 61 in more detail because it is language, more than anything else, 62 distinguishes man from the rest of the 63 world. / A7 \5 [' h/ _7 c; H
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Other animals, it is true, communicate with one another by 64 of cries: for example, many birds utter 65 calls at the approach of danger; monkeys utter 66 cries, such as expressions of anger, fear and pleasure. 67 these various means of communication differ in important ways 68 human language. For instance, animals’ cries do not 69 thoughts and feelings clearly. This means, basically, that they lack structure. They lack the kind of structure that 70 us to divide a human utterance into 71. 2 u+ G0 o( ^& ]+ p2 Q! u* y
% E, M4 G, w5 g a- m8 c' d( Z+ S6 m We can change an utterance by 72 one word in it with 73: a good illustration of this is a soldier who can say, e.g., “tanks approaching from the north”, 74 who can change one word and say “aircraft approaching from the north” or “tanks approaching from the west”; but a bird has a single alarm cry, 75 means “danger!”
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0 H n/ W/ H; g1 _. K+ ~& K. F1 m This is why the number of 76 that an animal can make is very limited: the great tit (山雀) is a case 77 point; it has about twenty different calls, 78 in human language the number of possible utterances is 79. It also explains why animal cries are very 80 in meaning. |
发表于 2012-8-14 10:05:12
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