Unit I

LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE
Meaning
Language is a system of visual, auditory or tactile symbols of
Communication and the rules used to manipulate them. It is considered
to be a system of communicating with other people using sounds,
Symbols and words in expressing a meaning , idea or thought. The
language can be used in many forms, primarily through oral and written
communications as well as using expressions through body language.
Definition
According to Edward Sapir:
Language is a purely human and non-instictive method of
communicating ideas, emotions, and desires by means of a system of
voluntarily produced symbols.
 Role and Functions of Language
Tool for self expression
Language is a tool for self expression. Verbal expression helps us to
meet various needs. We use language to express the feelings, emotion
etc. At the time of using language as a tool to express ourselves, we
need to consider or care who the listener or reader. We use language
for private purpose.
Tool for social interaction
Verbal language is the most widespread mode of human
communication, and an intrinsically social activity. Social interaction
influences human communication, especially language. Learning
language and social interaction deals with how we use language to
negotiate relationship.
Tool for communication
The word “language” means communication. It facilitates the
exchange of ideas, thoughts, feelings and emotions.
Tool for need satisfaction
Human needs are satisfied through communication. We can define
ourselves, allow us to contact with others, achieve our every day needs
through communication. We can communicate effectively through
language.
Directive function
If the communicator wishes to draw the attention of the listener they
will use directive function. The function is often a command or
question so generally imperative and interrogative modes are used.
Regulatory
Here it facilitates giving directions. It shows direction to do or not to
do something. Eg: don’t make noise.
 Halliday views that language has seven functions. They are the
following
Instrumental
Language facilitates expression of one’s needs. Eg: I want food.
Regulatory
Here it facilitates giving directions. It shows direction to do or not to
do something. Eg: don’t make noise.
Interactional
It is used to interact with others. Eg: hello, my Arun.
Personal
This is to express one's feelings, opinion etc. Eg: I’m happy.
Heuristic:
It is used to get knowledge about the environment. Eg: how is the
weather?
Imaginative
It is used to create imaginary situations.
Representational
It is used to convey information. Eg: the examination has been
postponed.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF LANGUAGE
Language is a system of symbols
Language consists of various sound symbols representing meanings.
These symbols are arbitrarily chosen. Words in a language are not
mere signs or figures, but symbols of meaning.
Language is arbitrary
It means that there is no inherent relation between the words of a
language and their meanings or the ideas conveyed by them. For eg:
there is no reason why a female adult human being be called a woman
in English.
Language is culture based
The relationship between language and culture is deeply rooted. Language
used to maintain and convey culture. Language is framed by culture, while
culture is influenced and impacted by language . Language is the medium of
culture.
Language is unique
Each language has its own aspects and features. No two languages
are like.
 Maxims of teaching
Maxim means a saying that expresses a universal truth. There are
several maxims of teaching. Some of them are given below.
From simple to complex
While teaching, the teacher may proceed from simple items to
Difficult items. This develops student’s interest in learning and
develops their confidence to proceed.
From known to unknown
The new knowledge is better acquired by the learner when it is
based on the knowledge already attained by him. New knowledge is to
be linked properly to the previous knowledge of the learners. The
proceeding is from familiar to the unfamiliar.
From concrete to abstract
Concrete items are to be taught before presenting abstract ideas.
Concrete items are easy to be learnt as they can be seen. Abstract
things cannot be seen or touched and so they are not as easy as
concrete items to be learned.
From analysis to synthesis
The students may be enabled to divide a thing into its component
parts before teaching them to constitute the whole.
From particular to general
The teacher may present the examples first and then help learners
frame rules.
From whole to parts
For a child, whole is more meaningful than its parts.
From near to far
The teacher may introduce to the students the things seen in their
surroundings before trying to teach the things away from his
surroundings.
From actual to representative
Actual objects are better to be used while teaching children before
using representatives such as pictures, models etc.
From empirical to rational
Empirical knowledge is that which is mainly gathered through observation
and experience. Rational knowledge is facilitated through abstractions and
argumentations. Empirical knowledge may be preferred to rational knowledge
while teaching children.
 Language learning and acquisition
Language is mastered in two ways. They are acquisition and
Learning. Let us see them in detail.
Language Acquisition
Language acquisition refers to the gradual development of ability in
a language by using it naturally in communicative situations.
Acquisition is a natural process. Children acquire language through a
non-conscious process during which they are unaware of grammatical
rules. This is similar to the way they acquire their first language. They
get a feel for what is and what isn’t correct. In order to acquire
language, the learner needs a source of natural communication. The
emphasis is on the text of communication and not on the form.
Language learning
Language learning refers to a conscious process of accumulating
knowledge of vocabulary and grammar of a language. Learning is
deliberate. Language learning is not communicative. It is the result of
direct instruction in the rules of language. In language learning,
students have conscious knowledge of the new language and can talk
about that knowledge. They can fill in the blanks on a grammar page.
Research studies have shown that knowing grammar rules does not
necessarily result in good speaking or writing. A student who has
memorized the rules of a language may be able to succeed on a
standardized test of that language but may not be able to speak or
write correctly.
Those whose experience is primarily a learning one may not have
the same proficiency of those who have had an acquiring experience.
Even in an ideal acquisition situation, very few adults seem to reach
native like proficiency in using a second language. It may be due to
the fact that the innate language faculty of human beings is in its full
power and vigour in early years.
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACQUISITION AND LEARNING
Acquisition
• It is a non-conscious process.
• It is natural.
• It is communicative.
• Emphasize is on the message.
• Rapid process.
• Fully successful.
• No systematic procedure.
• Not aware of the grammar.
• No instant rectification.
• No help from teachers.
Learning
• It is a conscious process.
• It is deliberate.
• It is not communicative.
• Message or form or both may
be stressed.
• Slow process.
• Success is not guaranteed.
• Systematic procedure.
• Become aware of the
grammar.
• Instant rectification of errors.
• Good teacher support.
 Stages of Acquiring Language
According to the generally accepted research language acquisition
has five well defined stages.
1. Pre-production: (0-6 month)
It is the stage before the children begin producing any
language. At this stage, most children will not have the confidence
to speak in the target language. In this stage, the children listen to
others talk, digest what hear, develop a passive sort of vocabulary
and observe interactions. In this stage the child has a minimal
comprehension.
2. Early production: (6 month- 1 year)
At this stage children begin building an active, as opposed to
merely a receptive vocabulary. According to experts, students
generally build up to around 1000 words during this time, which
they often use to construct short phrases. The children has limited
comprehension in this stage.
3. Speech emergence: (1-3 years)
In this third stage, children develop a vocabulary of 3000 words, with the
ability to communicate in a complete simple sentences. Some of those
sentences will not necessarily be grammatically on point, although most
native speakers should be able to understand. Towards the end of this
stage, you will probably be able to string together connected sentences
into coherent paragraphs. The children has a good comprehension in this
stage.
4. Intermediate fluency: (3-5 years)
Here the students will be an advanced stage, accumulating a vocabulary
of about 6000 active words. They are comfortable for constructing
complex sentences during their regular speaking and writing activities.
Expressing opinions and thoughts in a concise manner is rarely a
problem. In this stage the student has a excellent comprehension.
5. Advanced fluency: (5-7 years)
This level often called a Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency, is
reserved for people who have actively worked on language skills. This is
as close to native fluency as you can probably get and this will be
reflected in every area- from the way you think, to the way you formulate
ideas. In this stage the student has a near native level of speech.
 Factors affecting language development
(Acquisition and Learning)
Language Acquisition is influenced by subjective and objective
factors in several ways. Factors related to learner, environment and
infrastructure of the institution play vital roles in language learning.
 Learner (personal) factors:

Need: need is the greatest prompter and the most influential factor of
any endeavour.
Aim: the aim set by the learner determines the extent he wishes to go in
his study. It influences the nature and quality of learning.
Practice: the quality, intensity and extensiveness of practice influence
the acquisition of a language.
Age: it is a view widely held that with increasing age there is a
diminishing capacity for language learning. children acquire language
quickly and easily.
Temperament: the temperament of the students affects learning. He may
be imaginative, unimaginative, energetic, nervous, reluctant or diffident.
Previous study: the previous knowledge may facilitate or hamper the progress of
learners in picking up a language.
Imitation: ability to imitate is the major factor in promoting learning and
acquisition.
Attitude: the attitude of learners towards second language can be positive, negative
or neutral. Positive attitude facilitates quick and strain-free acquisition while
negative attitude hamper it.
Gender: it is said that girls are quicker in language acquisition when compared to
boys.
Intelligence: learners intelligence influences their learning.
Aptitude: aptitude for a subject or career facilitates better attainment in that area.
Interest: interest is the mother of attention and attention is the mother of learning.
Interest in a particular subject facilitates the learning of it.
Motivation: motivation plays a vital role in facilitating learning.
Readiness: learners’ readiness to learn facilitates learning.
Personality: the personality of a learner such as introversion, extroversion etc can
influence his approach towards learning.
Physical condition: physical wellness has crucial influence on learning.
Emotional development: it influences the learning of an individual.
Style of learning and acquisition: learning style of each learner may have some
differences. This style can influence their learning.
 School (infrastructural) factors:
Competency of teachers
Library
Language lab
Computer lab
Seating arrangements
Classroom condition
Availability of required audio-visual aids
 Community (environmental) factors:
regional dialect
interaction
cultural impact of society
attitude of society towards the target language
place of target language: the place of language in the historical
classification may also determine how easily a learner acquires it. For
instance, a North Indian whose mother tongue is Hindi may find it easier
to learn Punjabi than Dravidian languages like Tamil, Malayalam etc.
 Family:
socio-economic status of the family (parents: education, income
and job)
interaction
exposure
emotional support
ineffective parental behaviour
parental criminality
mistreatment during childhood and family violence
parental substance abuse
 First language and second language
First Language
First language is the language a person learns first. It is his home
language or mother tongue. It may be his native language.
(Native language, first language, mother tongue, arterial language,
L1) is a language that a person learn to speak first or from birth. The
term native language refers to the language that a person acquires in
the early childhood because it is spoken in the family or it is the
language of the region where child lives. Through first language one
Identifies with or is identified as a native speaker by others. And it is
The language a person use most. For example, Malayalam is the first
language of a Keralite.
A person who has more than one native language is regarded as
bilingual or multilingual.
Second Language
Second language is the language a person learns after the first
language. People may use it besides his mother tongue or
communicative purposes. It may have some official status in the
country. Second language or L2 is a language that is not the native
language of the speaker but it is used in the locale of that person for
some important purposes. It is a language learned by a person after
his/her native language, especially as a resident of an area where it is
in general use. It is a language widely used especially in educational
and governmental functions in region. It is a non-native language
officially recognized and adopted in a multilingual country as a means
of public communication. English is a second language in India.
Foreign Language
Foreign language refers to a language used abroad. It has no role in
one’s native country. A person learns it for using in countries where it
is used as the first language or to use in his own country when guiding
tourists coming from regions of this language. For Eg: Chinese is a
foreign language in India.
 Difference Between First Language And Second Language
L1
 Learning L1 is a natural
process.
 Learning L1 needs constant
communication.
 L1 does not require formal
setting.
 Children acquire language
through a subconscious
process.
 Success is guaranteed.
 L1 acquisition is an
biologically-driven process.
 L1 learners have no goals.
L2
 L2 learning is a artificial
process.
 Learning L2 does not need.
 L2 require formal setting.
 Children is very much aware
about grammatical rules of the
target language.
 Success is less certain when
L2 learning is concerned.
 L2 is not a biologically driven
process.
 L2 learners have a variety of
goals.
 Influence of mother tongue on second language.
The features of first language find similarities and differences with
features of a second language. Similarities facilitate and differences
interfere second language learning. Malayalam, as a first language,
exhibits these features of facilitation and interference when a
Malayalee learns English after acquiring Malayalam.
Malayalam has major differences with English. This difference is
natural as both languages belong to two different language families.
English to Indo-European language family and Malayalam to
Dravidian language family. The interference of Malayalam is more
acute in some areas. Unphonetic nature of English is heavily interfered
by the phonetic nature of Malayalam. The pronunciation of some
sounds are also under inference threat of Malayalam.
Phonetic treatment of unphonetic language
Malayalam is a phonetic language, where as English is an
unphonetic language. Phonetic language is the language in which there
is one to one connection between the letter and its sound. In other
words, one letter has one sound and vice versa. Unphonetic language
is the language in which there is no one to one connection between the
letter and its sound. In other words, one letter may have more than one
sound and one sound represented by different letters. For example, the
letter ‘o’ is pronounced differently in the words ‘on’, ‘one’, ‘won’ and
‘wolf’. The sound ‘k’ is represented by ‘k’ in the word ‘kit’, ‘c’ in the
word ‘cat’, ‘ch’ in the word ‘school’ and ‘ck’ in the word ‘packet’.
Pronunciation of silent letters
The presence of silent letters in words is another feature of English.
Malayalee people have a tendency in the beginning to pronounce each
and every letter they see in English words. For example, they may
utter ‘r’ in the word ‘girl’, the letter ‘k’ in the word ‘know’ and the
letter ‘h’ in the word ‘honest’.
Ignorance of stress timed rhythm
Malayalam is a syllable timed language. It means all syllables are
pronounced giving approximately equal amount of time. Where as, in
English all syllables are not pronounced with equal amount of time.
English is a stress timed language. Here approximately equal amount
of time is given to the pronunciation of each stress group. A stress
group includes a stressed syllable and the following unstressed
syllables, if any. It may contain one stressed syllable only or besides it,
one or more unstressed syllables. Malayalees have a tendency to
wrongly treat English as a syllable timed language. It is due to the
influence of Malayalam, a syllable timed language.
Wrong pronunciation sounds
Wrong pronunciation of some English alphabets are very common
among Malayalees. Let’s see some such letters.
T
In English ‘t’ is a alveolar plosive. Malayalees wrongly pronounce it
as retroflex sound. Actually, there is no retroflex sound in English. This error
occurs due to the interference of Malayalam which has retroflex sound.
Plural suffix s/es
Malayalees pronounce the plural suffix s/es as ‘s’ every where. In
English this suffix s/es is pronounced as /s/, /z/ and /iz/ depending on
the sound with which the word ends. Eg. Looks=/luks/. Pigs= /pigz/.
Cases= /keisiz/.
Past tense marker d/ed
The past tense marker d/ed is pronounced as /t/, /d/ and /id/
depending on the sound with which the word ends. Eg. Looked=
/lukt/. Filled= /fild/. Lighted= /laitid/. For many Malayalees, these
differences are nothing. They pronounce the past tense marker d/ed as
/d/ where ever they see. They do so in English because it is their
familiar way in Malayalam in which they are right in pronouncing ‘d’
as ‘d’ where ever it occurs.
R
In English the letter ‘r’ is not pronounced when it is followed by a
consonant or when it occurs at the end of a word. For eg, the letter ‘r’ in the
word ‘work’ is not pronounced. But Malayalees pronounce it like all other
letters of that word.
 The letter ‘r’ has another use known as intrusive ‘r’. This ‘r’ occurs
in pronunciation only and cannot be seen in writing. When a word
ends with a vowel and the next word begins with a vowel, and if there
is no pause between these two words in connected speech, an ‘r’ is
pronounced in between these two words. Eg: drama and mimicry=
/dra:mƏ r Ən mimikri/.
Strong pronunciation of weak syllables
English has strong and weak forms. Weak syllables are pronounced
weakly. But Malayalees pronounce even weak syllables strongly. For
eg, the sentence ‘I am reading’ is pronounced as /aim ri:diŋ/. Here
‘am’ is pronounced as /m/ being weak. Malayalees pronounce it fully.
Wrong pronunciation of dental fricatives
English has dental fricatives and Malayalam has dental plosives. As
a consequence, Malayalees pronounce dental fricatives in English as
dental plosives.
Measures to prevent interference of Malayalam
 Make the students aware about he unphonetic nature of English
 Make the students familiar with the production of speech sounds
 Anticipate problems of interference.
 Give more exposure to the native pronunciation
 Presentation of minimal pairs
 Intensive practice
 Give model pronunciation
 Teach rules of phonetics
 Place of English in the Indo-European Family
Language Family
Language family is a group of languages with a common ancestor.
Languages with relevant common features belong to a particular
family of languages. Subdivisions of language family are called
branches.
New languages emerged from the proto language in typical ways.
The proto language split into dialects. As the sub groups of the speakers
migrated to different places far from each other, their mutual contacts
diminished or stopped. As a result, these dialects became more and more
different from each other. Each dialects became unintelligible to the speakers
of other dialects. Consequently, these different dialects grew in their own
ways and became more and more different from each other. Later, they came
to be regarded as separate languages. This scenario repeated over and over
again through countries and millennia and caused the emergence of new and
large families of languages. The proto languages of different language
families also had ancestors. They must have been members of older language
families.
 Indo European Language Family
Indo European Language Family is a language family that includes
languages prevailing in the areas stretching from America through
Europe to North India. Many of the most important languages of the
world such as English, Spanish, French, German and Russian are
Indo-European. These languages are official or co-official in many
countries and are important in academic, technical and world
organizations. More than half of the world’s populations peaks one or
more of these languages either as mother tongue or as official
language.
Regarding the origin of the Indo European language, linguists differ in
views. However, the majority view in historical linguistics locates the home
land of the Indo European in the present day Ukraine around 6000 years ago.
The Indo European Family is divided into 12 branches, 10 of which contain
existing languages. They are Celtic, Germanic, Latin (Italian, Spanish, French
etc), Slavic (Russian), Baltic, Hellenic, Anatolian, Thracian, Iranian (Farsi,
Kurdish etc) Indic (Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali etc) and
Tocharain. English belongs to Germanic branch
 Proto Indo European

Western Branch

West European
Celtic Italic

Common Teutonic
Tocharian Old High German
West Teutonic
Anglo Frisian
North Teutonic
Hellenic Old English Old Frisian

East Teutonic
English
Hittite
 Role of English in the Present Scenario
English is an Indo-European, West Germanic language originating
in England. It is the first language of about 375 million people in
countries such as Briton, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and
Ireland. In more than 75 countries, English has official or special
status.
Modern English, sometimes described as the first global language,
is the dominant international language in communication, Science,
business, aviation, entertainment, radio and diplomacy. The initial
reason for its enormous spread beyond the bounds of the British Isles,
where it was originally native tongue, was the influence and vastness
of the British empire. The growing economic and cultural influence of
the USA as a global super power since World War II has significantly
accelerated adoption of English as a language across the planet.
A working knowledge of English has become a requirement in a
number of fields and as a consequence, over a billion people speak
English, at least to a basic level.
 Importance of English (Role of English)
The importance of English is increasing hour by hour. The main
areas of importance are highlighted below.
English as an International Link Language
Link language means the language that connects people across
regional barriers. English is an international link language. Related
features are the following.
 It is the language for inter-state communication.

 It is the lingua franca of the modern era. (a language that is adopted as a

common language between speakers whose native languages are

different)
 It absorbs and shares aspects of cultures worldwide.

 It is the official language for aerial and maritime communications.

 It is the language used in most international athletic organizations.

 It facilitates mobility of professionals from one country to another.

 It is the language of international politics.

 It is the medium of international trade and commerce.

A Global Language
Since English is so widely spoken, it has often been referred to as a
global language, the lingua franca of the modern era. It is currently the
language most often taught as a second language around the world.
Features of English as a global language are given below.
 It is the lingua franca of the modern era.

 It is used as a second language around the world.

 It absorbs and shares aspects of cultures worldwide.

 It is the official language of international communications.

 It is used in most international athletic organizations.

 It is the most commonly used language in the field of science.

 It is the language of international politics.

 It is the medium of international trade and commerce.

 It is one of the official languages of the UNO.

 It is the language most number of people knows in the world.

 It is the language of international magazines, periodicals etc.

Language of Science and Technology
English is the language of science and technology. Most of the
inventions in the field of science and technology are originally
recorded in English. The scientific and technical names of most of the
phenomena are in English. Science journals, technical magazines and
other materials of identical nature are mostly published in English.
Many of the technical devices function as per the instructions given in
English. Computer soft wares follow aspects of English to a great
extent.
English is the language of international research and innovations.
Many innovative findings are the result of collaboration and collective
wisdom. It is mainly English that facilitates this collaboration and
sharing of experience. Majority of scientists across the world wide
read and publish in English.
A reasonable amount of proficiency in English is essential for
understanding the scientific and technical terms in true sense. It is not
possible to translate all these terms to regional languages.
Library Language
The term ‘library language’ implies a language which widely and
fruitfully used to collect knowledge and information from books.
English is considered as a library language. About 80% of the
world’s electronically stored information is in English language. Most
of the journals, bulletins, periodicals, news papers, records of
inventions in the field of science, technology etc are published in
English.
English is the language of international scholarship. Books on all
sorts of knowledge are available in English. Most of the knowledge
available in English is unavailable in other languages. Thus English
becomes the most powerful key to the store house of knowledge. So
English is considered as a library language.
English plays a vital role as a library language in India. It plays a crucial
role to make all branches of knowledge accessible to the people of India. It
prevents our isolation from the ever growing stream of knowledge. Regional
literature can be further enriched through translation from English. Kothari
Commission has asserted that English should play a vital role in higher
education as a library language.
The ability to read and comprehend English is a must for us to keep in touch
with the latest developments in the field of science and technology. Special
attention may be given to the development of the pupils’ skill of reading.
Language of Employment
English is a language of opportunities. It opens the doors of
employments across the length and breadth of the world. The main
features of the English as the language of employment are given
below.
 It offers suitable career opportunities abroad.

 It widens the scope of professional experts.

 It facilitates outsourcing.

 It facilitates careers of good remuneration.

 It helps employers recruit candidates of competence.

 It facilitates mobility of professionals from one country to another.

Language of Commerce
English is the language of commerce. Most of the correspondence in the field
of commerce is in English. International business, banking, share markets
and insurance sectors use English as the medium of communication. Most of
the soft wares being used in the field of commerce are in English.
Publications highlighting the features of and trends in the realm of commerce
are in English. Bills, cash receipts, quotations, estimates, tenders etc are
prepared in English to a great extent world wide.
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