EL 104 - Nature of Language.pdf..........

Nature of Language

1. PrinciplesandTheoriesof
Language
AcquisitionandLearning

2. 01
TheNatureof
Languageand
Learning

3. NatureofLanguage
and HowItis
Learnt

4. Languageisthemostimportantphenomenoninthe
world.Frombirthtodeath,allouractivitiesare
regulatedbylanguage.Thehumanknowledgeand
cultureisstoredandtransmittedinlanguage.
Thinkingisonlypossiblethroughlanguage.Inour
dreams,wemakeuseoflanguage.Languagedominates
everyaspectofhumanlife.Infact,itisayardstick
toseparateusfromotherbeings.Languageisamean
ofcommunication.Withthehelpoflanguage,wecan
expressourthoughtsandfeelingstoothers.Without
language,societywouldbeimpossible.

5. Some
Definitionsof
Language

6. —OxfordEnglishDictionary
“Wordsandthemethods
ofcombiningthemfor
theexpressionof
thoughts”
“Languageisameanof
communicativethoughts.”
—Allen
“Languageisspecies
specific.”
—Bolinger

7. —H.A.Gleason
“Languageisoneofthe
mostimportantand
characteristicformsof
humanbehavior.”
“Languagemostshowsa
man,speakthatImay
seethee.”
—BenJonson
“Eachcommunityis
formedbytheactivityof
language.”
—LeonardBloomfield

8. Natureof
Language

9. 1.Languageislearnt:Learningoflanguage
isnotanautomaticprocess.Ofcourse,itisa
behaviorbutitisnottypeofbehaviorlike
walkingandcrawlingthatcomestochildin
naturalway.Languagebyimitationand
practice.Languageisnotpossiblewithout
effort.

10. 2.Languageisrelatedtothecultureof
society:Everylanguageisrelatedtoculture
ofsocietytowhichitbelongs.Thecultureof
thepeoplenaturallyinfluencesthelanguage.
Everylanguageistheproductofsociety.We
cannotseparatelanguagefromtheculturein
whichthatlanguageexists.Ithasmeaning
onlyinrelationtothatsocietyandculture.

11. 3.Languageisspeciesspecific:
Languageisspeciesspecific.Onlyhuman
beingshavegotthegiftoflanguage.Of
course,theotherspeciesdo
communicatebutonlyhumanbeingscan
makeuseoflanguage.

12. 4.Languageisspeciesuniformed:
Languageisspeciesuniformed.All
humanchildrenarecapableof
acquiringanylanguagenativelyif
theyareprovidedtherightkindof
environment.

13. 5.Languageisasystem:Eachlanguageisaunique
system.Thesystemoflanguageconsistsofsounds,
structuresandvocabulary.Apersonwhowantsto
learnanewlanguagewillhavetolearnnewsounds,
newstructuresandnewvocabulary.Thesound
systemoflanguagediffersfromlanguagetolanguage
dependingupontheculturetowhichalanguage
belongs.Eachlanguagehasitsownsystemof
vocabulary.Thuseachlanguageissystematic.

14. 6.Languageisasystemofsystems:Each
languageisasystemofsystems.Thereare
phonologicalandgrammaticalsystemsinall
languages.Thereareseveralsubsystems
withinalanguage.Thephonologyofa
languageformsitsownsystemasthe
varioussoundsfunctioninasystematicway.

15. 7.Languageisasystemofsymbols:Eachlanguageworks
throughsymbols.Differentwordsusedinalanguagearethe
symbols.Theystandforcertainthings.Thelanguagewillfunction
wellifitssymbolsareknownbothtothespeakerandthepersonfor
whomtheyarebeingused.
Forexampletheworldcuphasthreesounds(K,Л,P)Itisasymbol
ofEnglishbecauseameaningisattachedtoit.Butifwetakethe
samethreesounds like,K,Л,PtheydoformPuc,butthatisnota
symbolofEnglishlanguageasnomeaningisattachedtoit.

16. 8.Symbolsoflanguagearevocal:Differentsymbolsareusedin
asinglelanguage.Thesesymbolsarevocal.Alanguagesystem
doesnotexistinavacuum.Itisprimaryusedinspeech.Only
speechprovidesallessentialsignalsofalanguage.Thereare
otherkindsofsymbolswhichcannotbecalledvocalsymbols.For
example,gesturesandsignalflagsarevisualsymbolsandringing
ofthebellsandbeatingofadrumareauditorysymbols.Theydo
notformanylanguage.Inlanguagethesoundsareproduced
throughvocalorgans.Readingandwritingarenodoubtimportant.
Butspeechisthebasicformoflanguage.Alanguagewithout
speechisunthinkable.

17. 9.Languageisaskillsubject:Learningofa
languageisaskillsubject.Itisskilllikeswimming
andcycling.Wecannotlearnswimmingorcycling
justbystudyingrules.Wecanlearnitbypractice.
Inthesameway,wecanlearnalanguagey
constantpracticeofthatlanguage.Soalotof
repetitionformajorlinguisticskillslikelistening,
speaking,readingandwritingisrequired.

18. 10.Language
Languageis
isforcommunication:
the
and
bestmeansof
selfexpressions.communication
Humanbeingsexpresstheirideas,
thoughts,feelingsandemotionsthrough
language.Inthiswaylanguageisameans
toconnectpastpresentandfuture.

19. 11.Governedbyaparticularsetofrules: Eachlanguageis governed bya
particularsetorrules.Forexample EnglishisS.V.O.language.Informingsentence,
weputsubject,thenverb and afterverb weputobject.
Forexample
He
Subject
killed
Verb
asnake.
Object
Ontheotherhand,HindiisS.O.V.language.Firstweputsubject,heobject andafter
object,weputverb.
]sanao
Subject
saaMp
Object
maara.
Verb

20. 12.SymbolsoflanguageareArbitrary:Herebyarbitrary
symbolswemeantthatthereisnovisualrelationship
betweenthelanguageitemandtheobjectforwhichit
stands.Amaniscalledmantraditionally.Thereisnovisual
similaritybetweenthesymbol‘man’andtheactualman.We
havenotnameditsoonthebasisofsomelogicorscientific
principles.InEnglishwesayman,in‘Hindi’wesay
‘manauYya’.Noneofthemisbetterthantheother.Infact,
wecallaman‘man’becausepeoplehaveagreedtouseitin
thatsense.

21. 13.Languageisunique:Each
languageisuniquebecauseithas
itsownstyleoffunctioning.The
sounds,vocabularyandstructures
ofeverylanguagehavetheirown
specialty.

22. Reference:
Q.1.Discussthenatureoflanguageandexplainhowitislearnt.Citeillustrativeexamples.
(2009,October7).Bed0910’SBlog. https://bed0910.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/q-
1-discuss-the-nature-of-language-and-explain-how-it-is-learnt-cite-illustrative-
examples/

23. ThankYou!