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Effective Date: 7-DEC-2016

CAS 101: PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

Lesson 1: The Nature of Language

Introduction

Just as the creation of human life is beautiful, so is the creation of a wonderful and dynamic human
capacity---language. Animals are said to be able to communicate with each other. Whales sing, wolves
howl, horses neigh, dogs bark, goats bleat, cows moo, and birds chirp. The sounds that these creatures
produce often reflect the state of their emotions. While it may be true that animals communicate, only
human beings are truly capable of producing language (Madrunio and Martin, 2018).

Language is at the core of human interaction. In today’s society, it would be an advantage if you, as
the language learner, speak “glocal,” that is, you have the proficiency in learning both local and global
languages. Competence in the use of the language becomes an edge as people are moving towards
globalization. Human beings are enmeshed with the cultures of the world. As a matter of fact, the twenty
first century learners are encouraged to boost their communication skills to cope with the changing sands of
time.

Human beings are born with the capacity to communicate. For communication to transpire, language
is used as a potential tool to create networks of human activities leading to progress and development.
Emerging world leaders in politics, business, religion, media, health, and even academe, from presidents of
nations to teachers in the classrooms--all use the power of language to obtain results. Meanwhile, lack of
communication has given rise to differences in language, in thinking, in systems of belief and culture in
general (Asimov, 2010, cited in Samovar, Porter & McDaniel, 2010). The power to use language efficiently
and effectively is in the hands of people who are bent to walk in the roads to progress. Charismatic and
influential people know how to use language and communicate effectively to move people to action. The
proficient and competent user of language has the greater advantage in the era of technological
advancement. So the question is: Why is there a need to understand the nature of language? This lesson will
help you improve your language proficiency and competence, it is because as people in our community and
culture, we are living in a global village.

Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you can:

1. Understand the need to improve your competence in both local and global language;
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the key ideas in language and communication;
3. Apply accurate use of the language in various communication situations.

Topic Outline
1. The Nature of the Language
2. Terms used in the study of language
3. Using the language in both productive and receptive skills

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Read and Ponder

(Abstraction)

The Nature of Language

“Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we think about,” (Benjamin Lee Whorf,
cited in Samovar, Porter and McDaniel, 2010, p. 221). In every human interaction, language is at the core. It
enables us to exchange abstract ideas, setting us apart from other animal species by allowing us to say or
write down abstract ideas. It was through language that you learned your cultural values and behaviors.
Together with the creation of human life is the creation of a wonderful and dynamic human capacity
that is, language. Animals are said to be able to communicate with each other. For instance, cows moo,
turkeys gobble, rats squeak, doves coo, and owls hoot. The sounds these creatures produce often reflect the
state of their emotions. While it may be true that animals communicate, only human beings are truly capable
of producing language. Every language has systems of rules, phonology, grammar, syntax, semantics,
orthography, and other language intricacies. While grammarians are concerned with clarity, rhetoricians are
concerned with effectiveness. One becomes proficient in the use of the language if he/she grows up
knowing that language. Cultural immersion contributes greatly in the expert use of that language. Exposure
to the intricacies of the use of that language makes one intelligibly functional.

Speech Community
The moment you are born in this world, you grow up in a community or culture where your parents
are part of it. The language that is spoken by the people in that community becomes also your own. So, you
grow up in that speech community where your parents belong. They may speak the local language that
many Filipinos are accustomed to speak. According to SIL, Filipinos speak more than a hundred local
languages. These can be Tagalog, Tausug, Cebuano, Chabacano, Maranao, Maguindanao, Sinama, Yakan
and what have you. In some cases, children grow up in an environment where gadgets are their companions.
And they pick up the language that the gadgets speak to them. Exposure to watching TV—like cartoon
network or other e-learning tools, listening to music in English and other multimedia applications will make
them speak the language of their surroundings. Though it may be true, if for instance, they are born with
Chabacano or Cebuano speaking parents, yet they may speak English if their dominant exposure to the
gadgets influence their language use.

Language Acquisition
As you grow up, you pick up the language of your parents or the language of the environment you
are in. You started hearing sounds as a baby, and you mimicked them while you were yet young. As you
grow in age, you learn to speak their language. You learn the words they speak in a natural way. Your
vocabulary expanded as you use them in various occasions. As you mature, you read materials, written
texts, inscriptions and other forms of writings in that language. The last skill to be developed is your writing
ability in that language. All of these occur naturally. Your developmental milestones are obvious.

Mother Tongue
The language you acquired or picked up from the speech community you are in while growing up,
becomes your first language or your mother tongue.

Second Language
The language that you formally learn either in school or tutorial classes, where you learned it with a
teacher or tutor is the second language other than the first language that you acquired from home. This can
be your national language, like Filipino or may be the global language like English. Formal learning of this
second language will help you proficient user of the language.

Language Learning
Language learning is the process of studying a second language formally. This happens when you as
a learner study: rules of grammar, correct usage, word derivation, pronunciation and enunciation. In writing,

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you were trained to: build words from basic parts, affixes and infixes, derive word meaning, construct
sentences, as well as write coherent paragraphs and even longer stretch of discourses.

Language Contact
Your exposure to various situations and with other learners who speak a language different from
your own provide a language contact. This can happen in a classroom scenario, in a restaurant, online
transactions and more.

Language Change
In your interaction with other people, your language comes into contact with other languages
resulting in language change. Language change can happen when two or more languages try to adapt, loan
or borrow words, coin new words as products of exchanges of ideas. Language change is a natural behavior
of all languages. Philippine languages, as part of the Polynesian family of languages are observed to be
interrelated. For example, counting money in Tausug like twenty or “kawhaan” is also “kawhaan” in
Visayan. Variety may arise when spelling or speaking the language takes place.

Synthesis

1. Language is a human capacity that consists of (a) system of rules, also known as grammar (b) a sound
system, also known as phonology (c) and a vocabulary, also known as lexicon.
2. While growing up in a community, people acquire the languages used by those in the community. This
is the process of language acquisition.
3. The languages acquired while growing up are known as mother tongues, which may also be referred to
as first languages.
4. Other than the first languages, there are other languages needed for various reasons. These other
languages are referred to as second languages.
5. People learn their second languages in school or on their own. This is the process of language learning.
6. In our interaction with other people, our languages come into contact with their languages, resulting in
language change. Language change is a natural behavior of all languages.

Prepared by: Anie D. Palalon

Adapted from: Lahoylahoy & Jalon’s (2020) Module in Purposive Communication

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