THE NATURE OF LANGUAGE

Week 2
MC Eng 101: Teaching English in the Elementary Grades (Language Arts)
MYLA C. OGAYA
Instructor 1
Language is a structured system of
arbitrary sounds and symbols used in
communication.
Because it is arbitrary, language is subject to
change. Pitch, stress, and juncture are parts of
the system of language that help to convey
meaning.
Language is the basis of all communication
and the primary instrument of thought
Language, therefore, is central to the
peoples’ intellectual, social and emotional
development and has an essential role in all
key learning areas.
Language is the foundation of all human
relationships.
All human relationships are established on
the ability of people to communicate
effectively with each other. Our thoughts,
values and understandings are developed and
expressed through language.
People use language to make sense of and
bring order to their world.
 Therefore, proficiency in the language
enables people to access, process and keep
abreast of information, to engage with the
wider and more diverse communities, and to
learn about the role of language in their own
lives, and in their own and other cultures.
 COMMUNICATION ARTS

Five modes of communication, namely,

listening, speaking, reading, writing, and
viewing compose the areas of
communication arts.
The need for considerable attention to the
development of listening and speaking skills
in basic education, particularly in the
elementary grades stems from the
interrelatedness of the communication arts
in developmental sequence.
The learner of any language first acquires
language through listening. Then he or she
learns to speak. Later the child recognizes and
utilizes the written representation of the oral
language as he or she learns to read and, soon
after, to write.
The child learns to speak by listening and
imitating. His or her ability to acquire skill in
recognition, interpretation, and use of
language in its graphic form is affected by the
extent of his or her grasp of spoken language.
The changing nature of communication is
reflected by the fact that in the English
language curricula, the new skill, viewing,
has been added to the traditional areas of
communication arts known as listening,
speaking, reading, and writing. Viewing is
comprehending visual media.
 That’s all.

THANK YOU!