语言学与高校英语教师

摘 要：本文介绍了语言学的内涵及其分支，并阐述了掌握语言学对高校英语教师教学实践的指导意义。

关键词：语言学；高校英语教师；教学实践

Abstract: Giving a brief introduction of linguistics and its branch, The author comments on the significance for teaching if the college English teachers master and put it into practice.

Key Words: Linguistics college English teacher teaching practice

A brief Introduction of Linguistics

Linguistics, called as a whole general linguistics, is the scientific study of language, based on the systematic investigation of data, conducted with reference to some general theory of language structure. It deals with basic concepts, theories, descriptions, models and methods applicable in any linguistic study, in contrast to those branches of study that relate linguistics to the research of other areas.

The first step of the research of the linguists is Phonetics .which studies the sound used in linguistic communication, they developed another branch of study related to sounds called Phonology, which studies how sounds are put together and used to convey meaning in communication . The study of the way in which symbols are arranged to form words has constituted the branch of study called Morphology. The study of rules which combine the words to form permissible sentences in language constitutes a major branch of linguistic studies known as Syntax. The study of meaning is Semantics. Pragmatics is study of meaning used in the context. The study of language change over various periods of time and at various historical stages is known as Historical Linguistics.

In the course of time the study of language has established close links with other branches of social studies, resulting in interdisciplinary branches of linguistics study. The study of all social aspects of language and its relation with society form the core of the branch called Sociolinguistics. Psycholinguistics relates the study of language to psychology. Other related branches include Anthropological Linguistics, Neurological Linguistics, Mathematical Linguistics, Educational Linguistics and Computational Linguistics.

Findings in linguistics studies can often be applied to the research of how children are often acquire their native language and adults acquire their second language . The study of language acquisition is generally known as Applied Linguistics, which refers to the application of linguistic theories and principles to language teaching, especially the teaching of foreign language and second languages

English as the second language

Learning English in China is different not only because of the shorter period of learning and lack of real verbal environments of the target language but also because of the following important reasons

. On one hand, since the mother tongue interference is inevitable, we might as well make use of our mother tongue in the foreign language teaching. We may make comparisons between the native language and the foreign one (as many languages have some similarities) and make contrasts between them so as to provide the students with a clearer understanding of the target language. Besides, the aid of the native language has also proved helpful in the teacher''s explanation of the target language system. And the discovered differences between the students’ native language and the target language may also promote the students'' thinking in the modes of the language being learned.

On the other hand, too much use of the mother tongue hinders the acquisition of "the feel of language". Whether a learner has acquired "the feel of the language" is usually judged by how well he is able to think in the target language and how skillfully he is able to use the target language without having to go through his mother tongue. A person gets the "feel" of his mother tongue through his long acquisition in the native environment, but it is a great deal more difficult to get the "feel" of a foreign language in a very short course and in an alien environment.

As English teachers

The applied educational linguistics is one of the largest subdivisions of the field of applied linguistics, and it is in a stage of rapid development. In my opinion, English teachers should first of all learn the language rules before they can teacher these rules to students, teaching material development, teaching syllabus design, evaluation of teaching and learning are all guided by linguistic principles and theories. For the teaching approach or method often follows the matched linguistic theory.

For the past century, different approaches to language teaching have been applied along with a great deal of controversial comments. As teachers of English, Which approaches adopted in teaching makes can difference of students’ acquisition.

Different approaches to be used alternatively in different stages of teaching can be a solution to the above contradictory problem. We may devote a period of time to the bilingual teaching, usually in the beginning stage when the students have little knowledge about the target language and need their mother tongue to help them get acquainted with it.. Then, when the students are beginning to be able to understand and speak a little in the target language, they need another period with complete exclusion of the students'' mother tongue to intensify their ability in performing the target language. .

Linguistics is the scientific study of language. It can be used as our guidance of teaching practice As English teachers, to master the linguistic rules and applied different teaching approaches in English teaching is the central. Different learning situations need different teaching approaches. And the most important is to make flex==ible use of various approaches. When we make the choice on the approaches, we have to consider the students'' level, ability and their specific goals, the amount and kind of the target language they are likely to hear or use in the community, the teachers'' skills in the foreign language they are teaching and their ability in teaching, the size of the classes, the presence or absence of various teaching aids, the nature of the textbooks used, etc. Each approach might serve a particularly desired purpose and achieve the intended result. It would be unfair to judge which approach is superior and which is inferior. No approach is universal and is along going to all solve all the problems we face in foreign language teaching. If we attempt to find the best total approach, we will have to make flexible and eclectic use of the present approaches and combine the elements from various approaches that would best fit a particular learning-teaching situation. The flexibility in using the approaches allows instruction to be suited to different classroom situations. If a teacher is willing and able to make the attempts, isn''t he doing his bit to develop and perfect the pedagogical theories?