Language and
Principles of Language Teaching
Prepared by:
Dhaval Diyora
Roll No: 05
Paper – 12 :
A: English Language Teaching – 1
M.A
(English): Sem -3
Enrollment
No: 2069108420190013
Batch:
2018-20
Email: d.d.diyora@gmail.com
Submitted to: Smt .S. B Gardi, Department of
English,
MK Bhavnagar University.
Topic: Language and
Principles of Language Teaching
What is Language?
According to Oxford Advanced Learner, language is a
" system of sounds, words, patterns, etc. used by humans to communicate
thoughts and feelings".
Collins Cobuild Essential English Dictionary defines language is,
a system of communication which consists of a set of
sounds and written symbols which are used by the people of a particular country
for talking or writing.
Language is a human and social activity without which humans cannot function in society. It is one of their basic needs, one has to learn it. It is not something optional, we just cannot avoid it.
Language is a system of systems. It is said to be structured at the following five levels:
1. Phonological Level
2. Morphological Level
3. Syntactic Level
4. Graphic Level
Human language is different from that of animal language. 'Though animals, birds, etc. Do not possess a verbal language but they succeed in communicating different things by barking, meowing, chirping, etc. In fact, animal communication has certain limitations and therefore cannot express abstract concepts.
Human
language is creative in nature. We create new sentences that may be heard or
read in the past. This is what we call 'linguistic creativity'.
Language is a code. When a speaker speaks or a writer writes, his message is encoded. The message that is encoded by a speaker or writer is, in fact, decoded by a listener or reader. The code is already known to the listener - speaker and reader-writer. That is the reason why they get what is conveyed to them. It has both content and expression. Language is also considered as a skill.
Language is a code. When a speaker speaks or a writer writes, his message is encoded. The message that is encoded by a speaker or writer is, in fact, decoded by a listener or reader. The code is already known to the listener - speaker and reader-writer. That is the reason why they get what is conveyed to them. It has both content and expression. Language is also considered as a skill.
From the above definitions and observations it is discernible that the language is:
(1) a system of sounds, words, patterns, etc.;
(2) used by humans to communicate thoughts and
feelings;
(3) the ability to use words in order to communicate;
(4) a human activity;
(5) bound up with nationality, religion and the feeling of self;
Mother - Tongue ( L )
L. is the mother - tongue of the child. It is the
first language and is essentially the language spoken and/or used by the
mother of the child. The child acquires his mother - tongue because it is
unavoidable and indispensable for him.
B. Second language ( L . )
A second language may be defined as the language which a child/person learns
consciously after or with the mother - tongue
C. Third Language ( L .)
The third language is the language that a child/person learns after having
learned the first language and the second language. A child learns a third
language either out of need or compulsion or pleasure. In a multilingual
country like India, children have to learn a third language at school, for it
is on the prescribed course.
D. Foreign Language ( FL )
E. Dead Language ( DL )
A dead language is a language that is out of use and is no more used by people
for communication. It exists only in literature. People do not speak or write
it. It is not live. In other words, people do not communicate through it.
Many linguists are of the opinion that languages never die and it is derogatory
to label a language as dead. They argue that language is dynamic by nature,
how can it die? So long as people read it, it can not die. There are
linguists who argue that if a language is not used as a tool of communication,
it is as good as dead. Some people call Samskrit a dead language in India.
The subject is still debatable.
F. Classical Language ( CL )
The classical language is a language which is traditional in nature and has a rich
literature as well as an elegant past. Latin, Greek, Persian, Sanskrit, etc.
are considered classical languages,
G. Modern Language ( ML )
A
modern language is one that is used by the modern world. For instance,
English is one of the modern languages in the world now.
H. Target Language ( TL )
The target language is one that is learned as a target. It is a purposeful activity
. Any language can be a target language.
Principles of Language Teaching
( 1 ) Introduction
Teaching a language is a serious business and must be conducted carefully. Language teaching should receive psychological, linguistic and pedagogical support which would help the teacher in teaching the target language successfully. Researches have done in the field of linguistics, sociolinguistics, psychology, and pedagogy have brought out certain principles of language teaching. In his book, Robert Lado has discussed the principles of language teaching. The principles are stated briefly here.
( 2 ) The Principles of Language Teaching
1. Teach speech before writing.
2. Teach Basic sentences.
3. Establish the patterns as habits through patter
practice. Talking about the language is not knowing it.
4. Teach the sound system structurally for use by
demonstration, imitation, props, contrast, and practice.
5. Keep the vocabulary load to a minimum while the
students are mastering the sound system and the grammatical patterns,
6. Teach and present problems in meaningful
situations.
7. Teach reading and writing as manipulations of graphic
representation of language units and patterns that the student already knows.
8. Teach the patterns gradually, in cumulative graded
steps. To teach a language is to impart a new system of complex habits, and
habits are acquired slowly.
9. The translation is not a substitute for language practice.
10. Teach the language as it is, not as it ought to be.
11. The student must be engaged in practice most of the
learning time.
12. When a response is not in the repertory of the
student, shape it through partial experiences and props.
13. Speed and Style: Practice must end in a
linguistically acceptable and psychologically full experience.
14. Provide immediate reinforcement.
15. Impart an attitude of identification with or
sympathetic understanding of the people who speak the second language rather
than merely a utilitarian attitude toward the language or a disinterested or
negative attitude toward the people of the language.
16 Teach the meaning content of the second language as
it has developed in the culture where the language is spoken natively.
17. Teach primarily to produce learning rather than to
please or entertain.
18. Habit-Formation: - An attempt should be made to form
a habit in the students for learning a language by the following process.
Habit of listening
The habit of reading storybooks, newspapers, and magazines
The habit of going library
The habit of using correct grammar
The habit of consulting a dictionary
The habit of correct pronunciation
Habit of repeating
Language teaching is an art like all other arts, it
needs sustained „practice and drill‟ so great stress should be laid on practice instead of cramming
exercise. The English teacher should be armed at all fronts‟ like cultural. Social oral behavioral and
conversational approach language habits are formed – 1. Recognition, 2.
Imitation, 3. Repetition, 4. Variation, 5. Selection.
Works Cited
c.Paul. Teaching English as a second language.
1989.
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