1.2　课后习题详解

1．What is the basic idea behind the “yo-heave-ho” theory?

【答案】The sounds produced by humans when exerting physical effort (grunts), especially when co-operating with other humans, may be the origins of speech sounds (“yo-heave-ho”).

2．What specific type of claim is made by the “oral-gesture” theory?

【答案】The patterns of movement in articulation (of tongue, lips) would be the same as gestural movement (of hands); hence waving tongue would develop from waving hand.

3．What specific features of human teeth and lips make them useful in the production of speech sounds?

【答案】Human teeth are upright and roughly even in height; human lips are very flexible because of their intricate muscle interlacing.

4．What exactly happened with the larynx and why was it a disadvantage?

【答案】The larynx moved lower, making it easier for the human (unlike a monkey) to choke on pieces of food.

5．What are the two major functions of language, and how do they deferrer?

【答案】They are “interactional”, which is mainly a social function of language, and “transactional”, which is mainly a function involving the communication of knowledge and information.