Definitions of Language

Language is a structured system of arbitrary

vocal sounds and sequences of sounds
which is used in interpersonal
communication and which rather
exhaustively catalogs the things, events, and
processes of human experience(Carol, 1973).
Language is an open system interacting
with, changed by, and changing its
environment as part of culture. The
humanness of language and its place in
human society is one of the most necessary
and complex of all social skills.
Language is a system which relates meaning
to substance. Language is a mental
phenomenon. It is innate. Man has
genetically imparted ability for language
learning (Chomsky).
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 inteligibly with
one another (Random House Dictionary of
the English Language).
Language is a system of arbitrary vocal
symbols used for human communication
(Wardhaugh).
Language is a 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 interact (Finocchiaro).
Still common definitions found in introductory
linguistics include the concept of:
1. the generativity or creativity of language;
2. the presumed primacy of speech over
writing; and,
3. the universality of language among human
beings.
Important points worth considering in relation to the
various definition of language:
1. Language is used for communication.
2. Language is essentially human, although possibly

not limited to humans.

3. Language is a set of arbitrary symbols.
4. Those symbols are primarily vocal, but may also be
visual.
5. The symbols have conventionalized meanings to
which they refer.
6. Language is systematic and generative.
7. Language operates in a speech community or
culture.
Theories about the Nature of
Language
A. Behaviorist/Empiricist Theory – Leonard
Bloomfield, B.F. Skinner, and Charles Fries
1. Language is a set of arbitrary symbols.
2. Language is a system of habits.
3. Language is acquired behavior through conditioning
and reinforcement.
4. Language is surface structure.
B. Rationalist/Cognitivist/ Mentalistic Theory -
Noam Chomsky
1. Language is a mental process – a creative process.
2. Language is a rule – governed behavior.
3. The speaker – hearer has internalized the rules of
the language.
4. There is a universal grammar – universals of
language. At a highly abstract level, all languages
must share key characteristics.
5. A language has a deep structure and a surface
structure.
C. Nativist Theory – Eric Lenneberg
1. Language is an innate or inborn capacity of man.
2. Man has LAD – Language Acquisition Device.
3. Language is specie – specific.
D. Sociolinguistic Theory – Sociology of Language –
Dell Hymes, Michael A.K. Halliday
1. Communication Theory
Input Output
Encoding----------- Code language ------------- Decoding
Speaker/ Sounds/ Listener/
Writer Graphemes Reader
Language is not only a set of rules of
formation (linguistic competence) but also a
set of rules for the use of language.
2. Pragmatic Theory – John Oller
a. Participants in a conversation should have shared
knowledge or presupposition.
b. Language has two elements:
1. Factive or cognitive element which refers to the
use of language through words, phrases, and
sentences.
2. Emotive or affective attitudinal element which is
man’s outlook about others and his non – verbal
communication.
 First Theory: Nature of Language
Language acquisition is a habit formation
then the language teacher must concentrate
on pupils’ performance by giving them
plenty of drills to establish habits of
behavior. There is a need to reinforce them
for correct responses and eliminate wrong
responses. Let them learn inductively,
inferring the rules for themselves after much
practice.
 Second Theory:
The Nature of Language
Language acquisition is a matter of
learning code, then the language teacher
must ensure that the pupils internalize the
rules that will enable them to produce
sentences.
In the cognitive – code learning theory,
knowledge of the facts and formal rules of the
language can really be of help in guiding the
learner to form the right language habits. The
facts of the language should be presented in a
form easy to understand and appropriate to
the learner’s age and ability. Abstract rules
should be illustrated with a number of
concrete examples.
 Activity 1-1:Which Theory?
Write a one comprehensive paragraph
which theory you follow – the cognitive –
code learning theory or the audiolingual
habit theory.
 Activity 1 – 2: The Critiquing
Write a one – page critique of one
theory in terms of practical
soundness and validity.
Characteristics: Elements and
Functions of Language
 Common characteristics of
language:
1. Language is recursion. It means that
sentences may be produced with other
sentences inside them. This is done through
a process known as relativization (the use of
relative clauses)
Example:
This is the boy that found the dog that chased the cat
that ate the chicken in the kitchen.
2.Language is arbitrary. The relation between a
word and its meaning is a matter of convention.
Example: English (dog); Spanish (perro);
Bahasa (anjing) Filipino (aso)
Words have the meaning they do have and
occur in the order they do, just because the
native speakers of the language agree to accept
them as such.
3. Language is productive or creative. It
refers to the ability of the native speakers to
understand and produce any number of
sentences in their mother tongue.
4. Language is a social phenomenon. It is a
means of communication between
individuals. It also brings them into
relationship with their environment.
Language is therefore a socially learned
behavior, a skill that is required as we grow
up in society.
5. All languages are equally complex. Each
language is part of the culture that produces
it and is adequate for the needs of the
people who use it. Any language is as good
as any other in that it serves the purposes of
the particular culture. Words may b be
created or borrowed as the need arises. No
language is intrinsically better or worse than
any other.
 Elements of Language
1. Phonology – the study of sounds
In relation to phonology is the term phoneme. It is
the smallest unit of sound that makes a difference in
meaning in a language.
Two kinds of phonemes:
a. Segmental phonemes – vowels, consonants,
consonants clusters, diphthongs
b. Suprasegmental phonemes – pitch, stress,
intonation, and juncture.
Thank you…