| 释义 |
prelanguage, n. and a.
A. n. (Stressed ˈprelanguage.)
1. [pre- B. 1] A form of communication preceding the emergence or acquisition of language.
1940Bryant & Aiken Psychol. of Eng. iv. 33 What we may call ‘pre-language’ consisted of meaningful cries used exclusively in context to express emotions, messages, [etc.]. 1973C. F. Hockett Man's Place in Nature xxv. 382 The lines of development we have described slowly gave rise to a vocal-auditory communicative system very different from a close call system: to an open system that we shall call prelanguage. Ibid., Prelanguage was not language. 1978Verbatim May 15/2 Language was supposed to begin with grammar, and prelanguage was in no way relevant to the development of speech.
2. [pre- A. 2.] A hypothetical antecedent language.
1966E. P. Hamp in Birnbaum & Puhvel Anc. Indo-European Dial. 107 This prelanguage would have arisen in Dacia.
B. adj. (Stressed preˈlanguage.) [pre- B. 2.] Prior to the emergence of language.
1964Language XL. 240 Various prelanguage stages of development. |