Theory of English Methodolgy

Unit-I
Aspects of EnglishThe topics in the unit
are:
A. The Nature of language
B. History of English
C. Importance of English Language
D. Principles of English as Second
Language
E. Problems of Teaching / Learning
English.
F. First, Second and Third Languages;
Language Learning vs Language
Acquisition;
NATURE OF LANGUAGE
-Aspects of English is an important topic
in TRT for the aspirants of both SGT and
SA(English) posts. Before going to discuss
the nature of language, lets discuss the
origin of language and the definitions of
language.
Origin of Language:
-Several theories have been explained in
support of the origin of language and its
nature, but all are based on speculation and
guess.
The Divine Gift Theory:
-According to Divine Gift theory, language
is the gift of god. Not only in India but in
many countries the people believe that
divine is the source of origin of language.
Onomatopoeic Theory:
-Another view is that the cries of animals,
noises of birds served as a source of
inspiration to the primitive man to express
himself through speech. This theory is
known as Bow-wow theory. It is also
called invitation theory.
-According to Thompson, This mimicry of
animals generalized to other objects and
events in nature, e.g., rumbling of thunder,
the scraping of metal on rock, and gurgling
of water. In due course of time man
invented other sounds for naming other
objects in his surroundings.
The Ding-dong theory:
-Another theory about the evolution of
language concerned is Ding-dong theory.
The sound ding-dong is associated with the
ringing of the bell.
-This theory believes that there is an
inherent quality in certain objects to force
the man to elicit certain sounds resembling
the sounds of those objects.
The Pooh Pooh theory:
-This theory holds that the interjections or
exclamations of man during his different
emotional states, e.g., pleasure, pain, anger
and surprise, formed the basis for the
origin of language.
The Babble Luck Theory:
-This theory assumes that language is the
result of prattling of man while he worked.
It was through chance factors that babbling
or murmuring of man became to be
associated with particular objects and it
resulted in the origin of a private language
for the personal used of a particular man.
In due course of time, these private words
became common for use to all.
The Yo-he-Ho theory
-The Yo-he-Ho theory is one which
assumes certain kind of physical exertions
produce certain sounds which give a
feeling of relief to our system. The uttering
of sounds like Hayi - Sha helped the man
to evolve the language.
THE CONCEPT OF LANGUAGE:
-Language is an important word in this
world and in our life. There is no human
being on this earth who does not know any
language.
-All languages are organic and dynamic.
-Organic refers to a living thing
-Dynamic refers to something that is
always active and changing or growing.
Do languages have life? How?
-Yes, they have life.
-They cant be seen by us but can be
perceived.
-Like living thing, language can also grow.
-Languages interact with each other.
-Languages also reproduce as well as die.
-Just like human beings, languages also
exhibit a capacity of auto-repair. This
quality is also exhibited by languages. It
means that while languages are learnt
errors are made and got corrected.
-All living things need to die some time.
Similarly languages also die.
What is language?
-Language is a means of communication
and thinking.
-We often say that language is a means of
communication. But language itself is a
communication and it is not a means or a
tool. It is because language is not
something that is external to
communication. It is an integral part of
communication. We can not leave a
language as we leave the tools like the
boat, car, pen etc. after the work is over.
-So the definition is language is
communication.
-Communication happens because of
language, and communication is a result of
thinking.
-Language which facilitates language also
facilitates thinking.
Definitions of Language:
Bloch and Trager:
-Language is a set of arbitrary vocal
symbols by means of which a social group
communicates.
Edward Sapir (in his book An Introduction
to the Study of Speech):
-Language is a purely human and non-
instinctive method communicating ideas,
emotions and desires by means of a system
of voluntarily produced symbols. These
symbols are in the first instance auditory
and they are produced by the so called
Organs of Speech.
Finocchiaro
-Language is system of arbitrary, vocal
symbols which permit all people in a given
culture or other people who have learned
the system of that culture to communicate
or to interact.
Pei
-Language is a system of communication
by sound, operating through the organs of
speech and hearing, among members of a
given community and using vocal symbols
possessing arbitrary conventional
meanings.
Wardhaugh
-Language is system of arbitrary vocal
symbols used for human communication.
Jesperson
-The purpose of language is to give
expression to thoughts and feelings
especially to impart them to others.
Random House Dictionary of the English
Language:
-Language is any set or system of
linguistic symbols as used in a more or less
uniform fashion by a number of people
who are thus enabled to communicate
intelligibly with one another.
Websters Third New International
Dictionary of the English Language:
-Language is a systematic means of
communicating ideas or feelings by the use
of conventionalized signs, sounds,
gestures, or marks having understood
meanings.
Nature of Language:
-If we analyze the above definitions, we
find many things about the Nature of
Language.
-Language is (for) Communication:
Language is a means of communicating
thoughts and feelings. Communicate
aspect of a language is very important
because without it language cannot be
called a language. It is also said Language
itself is communication.
-Language is not inherited: Though human
beings endowed with a capacity to learn
language, they do not inherit a specific
language. They can acquire the one they
are exposed to.
-Systematicity of language: Language is
systematic. It means that Language has a
set of definite rules that govern its use. All
languages have grammar and this grammar
lends a structure or system to that
language.
-Arbitrariness of Language: This feature is
opposite to the second feature.
-Arbitrary means not based on any
principle or plan or system
-Thus, language is systematic as well as
arbitrary.
-Language is arbitrary because of Two
reasons: Each language chooses its own
system of speech sounds and has words for
different objects. We use different words
for the same object in different languages
Ex: Book in English
Pustakam in TeluguKitab in Hindi
-There is no connection between written
word or spoken sound and the object they
refer to.
-Duality of Structure: There are two levels
(systems) governing any language it is
called Duality of
Structure.
First Level Second Level
Putting up of Speech sounds together into
words.
Ex: W+e = we.
P+l+a+y = play Words are combined into
meaningful Sentences
Ex: We + play = We play.

5. Language is a system of systems:

Language is a system of Phonetics,
grammar and vocabulary which in
themselves are systems. These systems
are:
Phonology: The study of speech sounds. (
called Phonemics in America)
Morphology: The study of Words, their
information and various changes in their
form.
Semantics: The study of Words and their
meanings in a systematic way.
Syntax: The study of word order i.e.,
phrases, formulas and sentences.
6. Language is Learnt: The child knows no
language and he learns it over a long
period of time. He begins learning of
language by making various isolated
sounds. Finally he acquires the speech
sounds by imitation. He also learns
grammatical constructions of the language
by imitation.
7. Displacement: It means that we are able
to speak of Past, present, future and about
the places that are away from us.
Our speech beyond the limit of time and
space
Displacement is the rare quality of human
beings because animals cant imagine, and
their communication context bound.
8. Language is creative and Prevaricative:
It means that each sentence we use in our
daily life is a new sentence. We may repeat
a sentence but may not do so exactly the
same way we uttered it the first time.
Prevarication means the ability to tell lies.
9. Language exhibits redundancy:
It means that language repeats itself.
It facilitates the listener to understand the
total meaning, even if a part of the
utterance is not carefully heard.
10. Language is extendible:
It means to extend any sentence that is
given to us.
It means we cant set a standard length to a
sentence. We can continue a sentence by
adding a new element each time, making
the previous sentence longer.
11. Language Transmits Culture:
Language is the most dynamic form of
culture-preserving and culture-
transmitting.
Language is transmitted from one
individual to another not by physical
inheritance, but by learning.
12. Language is Dynamic:
Language changes.
Every language constantly changes and
develops according to the needs of the
people.
The change occurs at all levels sounds,
words, word meanings and sentences.
13 Interchangeability:
It means that it can both send and receive
messages.
14.. Reflexiveness:
This refers to the ability to use a language
system to explain its own system. That is a
language is used to explain its own
grammar or use.
15. Languages are primarily vocal, but
may also be visual.
16. Languages is essentially human
although it is not limited to human.
17. Specialization:
It signifies that human language is a
special system and has its own framework
of structure and meaning and that the
system is suitable for conveying messages
within the framework.
It also means that there need not be
complete physical involvement. Human
beings may involve themselves in other
activities while doing something else.
Ex. They can talk about a recent film while
eating.