Application of Iconicity to English Teaching in Senior High Schools

Abstract

Language, from the perspective of anthropology, is prod0uced by a series of complicated sign systems which correlate the objective world, human’s cognition and culture. The conflict between form and meaning in the history of linguistics has lasted for a couple of centuries. Saussure, a Swiss linguist, advanced the arbitrariness between the signifier and the signified in his masterpiece Course in General Linguistics. Peirce, an American semiologist, on the other hand, categorized signs as icon, index and symbol in 1902, which lay semiotic foundation for language iconicity research. Haiman, however, is the precursor to systematically explore iconicity from dimensions of isomorphism and motivation. To improve efficiency of senior English teaching, the author aims at applying previous research achievement to English teaching such as vocabulary, syntax, and discourse. In addition, providing feasible suggestions for English teaching via interconnecting iconicity research outcome with traditional English teaching methods is another intention.  

The paper is divided into four parts. The first part concisely introduces the history of iconicity development, especially three main periods of conflict between arbitrariness and iconicity. The second part is about an introduction to review of iconicity, including the philosophical basis of iconicity and three significant principles: iconicity of order, iconicity of distance and iconicity of quantity. The third part, with respect to application of iconicity in English teaching, consists of lexical iconicity such as etymological iconicity, phonological iconicity, morphological iconicity, and syntactic iconicity, for example, iconicity in sentence constituents and influence on comprehension of subordinate clauses. The fourth part combines English teaching methodologies with what has been analyzed above to put forward suggestions for present English teaching in senior high schools.

Key words:  Iconicity; arbitrariness; English teaching; signs; linguist