Language Culture and Society Reviewer

Definition of Language, Macro Skills, Communicative Competence, Views on Language and Grammar Components
Definition of Language

What is language?
 Language is primarily a human and non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions, and desires
through a system of voluntarily produced symbols (Sapir).
 Language goes beyond just describing real situations, for it primarily aims to form the components of culture
(Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis).
 Language, in its widest sense, means the total of such signs of our thoughts and feelings as are capable of
external perception and as could be produced and repeated at will (A.H. Gardiner).
 Language may be defined as the expression of thought utilizing speech-sounds (Henry Sweet).
 A system of communication by sound ie, through the organs of speech and hearing, among human beings of
a certain group or community, using vocal symbols possessing arbitrary conventional meanings (Mario A Pei &
Frank Gaynor).

The word ‘Language’ comes from the Latin term, lingua. It means tongue and the French term langwe.
Language is associated with human vocal and auditory means of expressing ideas and feelings. It is an entire
multifaceted phenomenon.

Macro Skills
As future language teachers, we need to facilitate the development of 5-macto skills. These are listening,
speaking, reading, writing and viewing. These are essential for communication. Humans develop the skill to
communicate by listening, just like babies. They listen and imitate the sounds they hear. Then comes the speaking
through imitation. As the skills progress, they then learn to read them write. Along with all these also comes the
viewing.

These are all interconnected; thus when one learns a new language, the best effort to do is by engaging all these
skills in a balance. The one that is not used and practiced well will eventually become the weaker skill of the individual.

 Listening is a prerequisite to understanding. It is the skill of grasping and decoding information during the
exchange of messages. Listening is the beginning of understanding and a valuable key to effective
communication. It is the task of getting the meaning of what is being heard (Underwood, 2009).
 Speaking is the ability that makes us superior to other species. It is a complex cognitive and linguistic skill
that involves words and sounds. It also involves:

Meaning: connotation, denotation, grammar

Sociality, Relationship, Affect: formal, informal, slang, turn-taking
Cultural Issues: class, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, dialect
Performance: articulation, projection, pronunciation
Sound Elements: how volume pitch, pace, and nature of sound complement/contradict/replace words

Functions of Speaking
Interaction is seen in social conversations. For example, a student shares her weekend getaway experience
to a friend, a taxi driver chats with his passenger, or a saleslady telling her manager about her recent
experience, etc.
Transaction happens when someone wants to cut across a message. There is an act to be done after the
message is received. For example, a boy orders a box of pizza, a teacher gives instructions on the
assignment of the lesson to her students, or book a plane ticket via phone call.
Performance is when an audience accepts the message spoken. For example, speeches conducted to
persuade like oration or debate. There is an emphasis on the organization.

 Reading is a multifaceted process involving word recognition, comprehension, fluency, and motivation. Learn
how readers integrate these facets to make meaning from print (Leipzig, 2001).

Reading is making meaning from print. It requires that we:

• identify the words in print a process called word recognition;
• construct an understanding from them a process called comprehension and
• coordinate identifying words and making meaning so that reading is automatic and accurate an achievement
called fluency.

Oral Reading is reading aloud. This can be a technique to improve poor readers’ word identification in
context. By reading aloud, the person learns to correct and detect errors that the reader produced. It improves
proper pronunciation and enunciation.
 Under silent reading are extensive and intensive reading. The latter is the end in itself. Practicing
specific reading strategies entail intensive reading while extensive reading is the means to an end. Extensive
reading includes reading for pleasure or reading technical, scientific, or professional material. Under these are
two specific types of reading: scanning for key details or skimming for the essential meaning.

 Writing is another macro skill which language teachers should master and teach students. Writing entails
control of language variables since it is an extremely complex cognitive activity. Good writing skills may
increase the chances of a person’s success. These are needed for all students to accomplish their
educational and employable requirements.
 Viewing skills allow students to pause and reflect and think about the images they are seeing and analyze or
evaluate further these visuals for better use. It includes giving meaning to the images or visuals and even with
computer programs and websites which have printed and spoken words. Viewing gives an avenue for
students to understand things and gain knowledge through information, which is communicated by others
especially with the use of technology. This skill is very important especially in this age of technology.

First language Vs. Second Language

What is a first language?

Whatever the language used and learned by a person from birth until the critical period is considered his/her
first language. It is the language used in the house. Therefore it is suffice to say that children learn their first
language from the people they were with from birth until the critical period.

What is a second language? After learning the first language (L1), a person accommodates another language
usually learned afterwards. This is referred to as the second language (L2). In learning L2, it takes effort and a
conscious will by familiarizing with form, vocabulary, pronunciation, functions, and rules of the language. Learning
L2 is a personal choice. A person or community can choose a second language among other languages and it is
learned consciously from guidance and instruction and requires constant effort. A second language is a new
aspect of a person’s life.

Microlinguistics and Macrolinguistics

1. Phonetics is a branch of linguistics which focuses on the sounds. La particular, it looks into how the sounds
should be articulated, transmittel and received.
2. Phonology is the study of the functions of speech sounds in a language. Là focus is on the ways speech
sounds are organized.
3. Morphology is the study of the construction and formation of words. It is a branch of linguistics, which breaks
words into morphemes and is considered the grammar of words.
4. Syntax is the study of relationship between linguistic forms, how they art arranged in sequences and which
sequences are well-formed.
5. Semantics is the study of the relationships between linguistic forms and entities in the world. It focuses on the
meaning of a sentence.
6. Pragmatics is the study of the relationships between linguistic forms and the users of those forms.
7. Psycholinguistics is the study of language and mind: the mental structures and processes, which are
involved in the acquisition, comprehension and production of language.
8. Sociolinguistics studies the relations between language and society: how social factors influence the
structure and use of language.
9. Neurolinguistics is the study of language processing and language representation in the brain. It typically
studies the disturbances of language comprehension and production caused by the damage of certain areas
of the brain.
10. Discourse Analysis is the study of how stretches of the language used in communication assume meaning,
purpose, and unity for their users.
11. Computational linguistics is the application of linguistic theories and computational techniques to problems
of natural language processing.
12. Applied linguistics is the field of study that looks at how linguistics can help understand real-life problems in
areas such as psychology, sociology and education.
Plurality of English

✨LINGUISTICS UNIVERSALS – is a pattern that occurs systematically across natural languages.

Ex. In English, we say “The girl slices the cake”

In Spanish, it’s “La nina corta el pastel”

✨UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR – it is a theory that suggest that some rules of grammar are hard-wired into the brain,and
manifest without being taught.
✨ENGLISH – refers to the English language used in business, trade, diplomacy and other spheres of global activity.
✨ENGLISHES-refers to the different varieties of English that develop in the different regions of the world.
♦️STANDARD ENGLISH- is a form of the English language that is commonly agreed to be the correct form of English.
LANGUAGE – refers to words or phrases that are commonly understood by a group of people. It often relates to
specially introduced words or phrases that help people communicate more effectively in a workplace.
✨MULTILINGUALISM- the ability of societies, institutions, groups, and individuals to engage with more than one
language in their day-to-day lives.
✨WORLD ENGLISH- refers to the different varieties of English and English-based creoles developed in different
regions of the world.
Ex. Philippine English ( He is kind)
Singaporean English (He kind)

✨KACHRU’S CONCENTRIC CIRCLES- Kachru constructed a model of the different uses of English around the
world. This model is comprised of three concentric circles, which he labelled: the inner circle, the outer circle and the
expanding circle.
 The inner circle is comprised of those countries who are considered the ‘traditional bases’ of English.
 The outer circle is comprised of countries where English is not spoken natively but is still maintained
as an important language for communication (e.g. as an official ‘second’ language or as the nation’s
official language for business and commerce) largely due to historical reasons.
 The expanding circle includes much of the rest of the world’s population - countries that do not hold
historical or governmental importance towards English, but class it as a foreign language or lingua
franca.
✨Philippine English- is a variety of English native to the Philippines, including those used by the media and the vast
majority of educated Filipinos and English learners in the Philippines from adjacent Asian countries.

Call Center English

Provincial English
Cebu English
Manila English

PIDGINS AND CREOLE

Definition of Pidgin Languages

 Simplified languages that develop as means of communication between speakers of different native
languages. Pidgins often arise in colonial or trade settings where speakers of different languages need to
communicate.

Characteristics of Pidgin Languages

 Limited Grammar
- often have reduced grammatical complexity, relying more on word order and context to convey meaning.
 Basic Vocabulary
- They usually have a limited vocabulary, primarily consisting of essential nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
 Restricted Use
- primarily used for practical purposes, such as trade, labor, or social interaction.
 No Native Speakers
-Pidgins are not the first language of any speaker; they are learned as a second language for communication.

DEFINITION OF CREOLE LANGUAGE’S

 Fully developed languages that evolve from pidgins and become native languages of a community. Creoles
develop from pidgins when they become more stable and are used as a community’s primary language. They
develop more complex grammatical structures and a wider vocabulary.

Characteristics of Creole Languages

Complex Grammar or Full Languages
-Creoles have complex grammatical structures and vocabulary making them complete languages.
Native Language Status
-Creoles are the native language of a community, passed down from generation to generation.
Used as the first language by its speaker.

ORAL VS. WRITTEN LANGUAGE

Oral
• Refers to the use of spoken words to communicate ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
• This mode of communication is primarily used in face-to-face interactions, also it can take place over the phone.

Written
• Refers to the written representation of language using symbols such as letters and numbers.
• It is used primarily for communication over distance and time, such as in books, letters, emails, and text
PRESCRIPTIVE AND DESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR

PRESCRIPTIVE A set of norms governing how sentences should or should not be formed rather than describing how
language is really used
- Do not use a sentence starting with conjunction
But I want to start a sentence with conjunction!”
- Do not end a sentence with preposition
Where are you going to?!”

DESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR
- Is employed in casual and interactional communications
- Objective, Non-judgmental
- Does not deal with what is good or bad language