THEORY OF LANGUAGE FOR LEARNING SECOND LANGUAGE

in #language7 years ago

What is the language? What does it mean to learn a language? What does one learn when s/he learns language? Questions such as these led to different views and theories of language. In the past century, language teaching and learning practices have been influenced by three different views of language, namely, the structural views, the functional view and interactional view. Different views on language generate different teaching methodologies.

The Structural View

This view sees language as a linguistic system made up of various subsystems, such as phonological units [e.g., phonemes], grammatical units [e.g., phrases, clauses, sentences], grammatical operations [e. g., joining or transforming elements], and lexical items [e. g., function words and content words]. Each language means to learn these structural items. To learn a language means to learn these structural items so as to be able to understands and product language.

The Audiolingual Method and Total Physical Response embody this particular view of language [Richards and Rodgers,2001].

The Functional View

This view sees language not only as a linguistic system but also as a means of doing things. That is, according to this view,"language is a vehicle for the expression of functional meaning"[ibid, p.21].Most of our day-to-day language use involves functional activities: inviting, making an appointment, asking for directions,suggesting, disagreeing,advising, apologizing, etc. Therefore, learners learn a language in order to do things with it.To perform functions, learners need to known how to combine the grammatical rules and the vocabulary to express notione that perform the functions.The communicative movement in language teaching as well as the movement in English in specific purpose has it's genesis in the functional view of language.

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Emotions, in my experience, aren't covered by single words. I don't believe in "sadness," "joy," or "regret." Maybe the best proof that the language is patriarchal is that it oversimplifies feeling. I'd like to have at my disposal complicated hybrid emotions, Germanic train-car constructions like, say, "the happiness that attends disaster." Or: "the disappointment of sleeping with one's fantasy." I'd like to show how "intimations of mortality brought on by aging family members" connects with "the hatred of mirrors that begins in middle age." I'd like to have a word for "the sadness inspired by failing restaurants" as well as for "the excitement of getting a room with a minibar." I've never had the right words to describe my life, and now that I've entered my story, I need them more than ever. Thank you for the post.

What does it mean to learn a language?

is broadly defined as developing the ability to communicate in the second / foreign language. that enables you to communicate, that is, to express yourself and understand others. Proficiency consists of various skill sets, such as speaking or signing, writing, using gestures, listening and reading.

Great post. Actually, I have learnt English as my second language. Now I feel like learning Spanish but I dont know where to start? I like language, so I always write about this topic. I hope someday you can visit my blog and give me comments :)