Theory of English Methodolgy

Unit-I
Aspects of EnglishThe topics in the unit are:
A. The Nature of language
B. History of English
C. Importance of English Language
D. Principles of English as Second Language
E. Problems of Teaching / Learning English.
F. First, Second and Third Languages; Language Learning vs Language Acquisition;

NATURE OF LANGUAGE
-Aspects of English is an important topic in TRT for the aspirants of both SGT and SA(English) posts. Before going to discuss the nature of language, lets discuss the origin of language and the definitions of language.

Origin of Language:
-Several theories have been explained in support of the origin of language and its nature, but all are based on speculation and guess.

The Divine Gift Theory:
-According to Divine Gift theory, language is the gift of god. Not only in India but in many countries the people believe that divine is the source of origin of language.

Onomatopoeic Theory:
-Another view is that the cries of animals, noises of birds served as a source of inspiration to the primitive man to express himself through speech. This theory is known as Bow-wow theory. It is also called invitation theory.
-According to Thompson, This mimicry of animals generalized to other objects and events in nature, e.g., rumbling of thunder, the scraping of metal on rock, and gurgling of water. In due course of time man invented other sounds for naming other objects in his surroundings.

The Ding-dong theory:
-Another theory about the evolution of language concerned is Ding-dong theory. The sound ding-dong is associated with the ringing of the bell.
-This theory believes that there is an inherent quality in certain objects to force the man to elicit certain sounds resembling the sounds of those objects.

The Pooh Pooh theory:
-This theory holds that the interjections or exclamations of man during his different emotional states, e.g., pleasure, pain, anger and surprise, formed the basis for the origin of language.
The Babble Luck Theory:
-This theory assumes that language is the result of prattling of man while he worked. It was through chance factors that babbling or murmuring of man became to be associated with particular objects and it resulted in the origin of a private language for the personal used of a particular man. In due course of time, these private words became common for use to all.
The Yo-he-Ho theory
-The Yo-he-Ho theory is one which assumes certain kind of physical exertions produce certain sounds which give a feeling of relief to our system. The uttering of sounds like Hayi – Sha helped the man to evolve the language.

THE CONCEPT OF LANGUAGE:
-Language is an important word in this world and in our life. There is no human being on this earth who does not know any language.
-All languages are organic and dynamic.
-Organic refers to a living thing
-Dynamic refers to something that is always active and changing or growing.
Do languages have life? How?
-Yes, they have life.
-They cant be seen by us but can be perceived.
-Like living thing, language can also grow.
-Languages interact with each other.
-Languages also reproduce as well as die.
-Just like human beings, languages also exhibit a capacity of auto-repair. This quality is also exhibited by languages. It means that while languages are learnt errors are made and got corrected.
-All living things need to die some time. Similarly languages also die.
What is language?
-Language is a means of communication and thinking.
-We often say that language is a means of communication. But language itself is a communication and it is not a means or a tool. It is because language is not something that is external to communication. It is an integral part of communication. We can not leave a language as we leave the tools like the boat, car, pen etc. after the work is over.
-So the definition is language is communication.
-Communication happens because of language, and communication is a result of thinking.
-Language which facilitates language also facilitates thinking.
Definitions of Language:
Bloch and Trager:
-Language is a set of arbitrary vocal symbols by means of which a social group communicates.
Edward Sapir (in his book An Introduction to the Study of Speech):
-Language is a purely human and non-instinctive method communicating ideas, emotions and desires by means of a system of voluntarily produced symbols. These symbols are in the first instance auditory and they are produced by the so called Organs of Speech.
Finocchiaro
-Language is 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 to interact.
Pei
-Language is a system of communication by sound, operating through the organs of speech and hearing, among members of a given community and using vocal symbols possessing arbitrary conventional meanings.
Wardhaugh
-Language is system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication.
Jesperson
-The purpose of language is to give expression to thoughts and feelings especially to impart them to others.
Random House Dictionary of the English Language:
-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 intelligibly with one another.
Websters Third New International Dictionary of the English Language:
-Language is a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings.
Nature of Language:
-If we analyze the above definitions, we find many things about the Nature of Language.
-Language is (for) Communication: Language is a means of communicating thoughts and feelings. Communicate aspect of a language is very important because without it language cannot be called a language. It is also said Language itself is communication.
-Language is not inherited: Though human beings endowed with a capacity to learn language, they do not inherit a specific language. They can acquire the one they are exposed to.
-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: 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
-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 Second Level
Putting up of Speech sounds together into words.
Ex: W+e = we.
P+l+a+y = play Words are combined into meaningful Sentences
Ex: We + play = We play.

5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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 cant imagine, and their communication context bound.
8. 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.
9. Language exhibits redundancy:
It means that language repeats itself.
It facilitates the listener to understand the total meaning, even if a part of the utterance is not carefully heard.
10. Language is extendible:
It means to extend any sentence that is given to us.
It means we cant set a standard length to a sentence. We can continue a sentence by adding a new element each time, making the previous sentence longer.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13 Interchangeability:
It means that it can both send and receive messages.
14.. 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.
15. Languages are primarily vocal, but may also be visual.
16. Languages is essentially human although it is not limited to human.
17. 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.