Language Transmits Culture

-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:
i) 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 Telugu
Kitab – in Hindi
ii) 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: Putting up of Speech sounds together into words.
Ex: W+e = we.
P+l+a+y = play
-Second Level: Words are combined into meaningful Sentences
Ex: We + play = We play.
-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.
-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.
-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 can’t imagine, and their communication context bound.
-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”.
-Language exhibits redundancy: It means that language repeats itself.
-It facilitates the listener to understand the total meaning, even if -part of the utterance is not carefully heard.
-Language is extendible:
-It means to extend any sentence that is given to us.
-It means we can’t set a standard length to a sentence. We can continue a sentence by adding a new element each time, making the previous sentence longer.
-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.
-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.
-Interchangeability: It means that it can both send and receive messages.
-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.
-Languages are primarily vocal, but may also be visual.
-Languages is essentially human although it is not limited to human.
-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.

Language Acquisition
-Language acquisition refers to the process of natural assimilation, involving intuition and subconscious learning.
-It is the product of real interactions between people in environments of the target language and culture, where the learner is an active player.
-It is similar to the way children learn their native tongue, a process that produces functional skill in the spoken language without theoretical knowledge.
-A classic example of second language acquisition are the adolescents and young adults that live abroad for a year in an exchange program, often attaining near native fluency, while knowing little about the language.

Language Learning
-The concept of language learning is linked to the traditional approach to the study of languages and today is still generally practiced in high schools worldwide.
-Attention is focused on the language in its written form and the objective is for the student to understand the structure and rules of the language, whose parts are dissected and analyzed.
-The task requires intellectual effort and deductive reasoning.
-The form is of greater importance than communication.
-Teaching and learning are technical and based on a syllabus.
-One studies the theory in the absence of the practice. One values the correct and represses the incorrect.
-Error correction is constant leaving little room for spontaneity.
-The student will be taught how to form interrogative and negative sentences, will memorize irregular verbs, study modal verbs, learn how to form the perfect tense, etc., but hardly ever masters the use of these structures in conversation.