How Language Can Be Viewed As A Means Of Communication And Interaction Between Individuals And Groups Within A Society

The Role of Language in Creating and Reinforcing Social Distinctions Such as Class, Ethnicity, and Gender

Language has been an integral part of human existence since the dawn of time. Our innate ability to communicate has guided the progress of civilization since its modest beginnings and facilitates our understanding of what it means to be human. The only practical way to thoroughly express one’s identity is through language, whether it be verbal speech or written text. It is only through this medium that we are able to fulfill our roles as a social people, who use discourse to cultivate relationships both on a personal and communal level. Language defines the human notion of self by revealing culture and beliefs, making individuality context-specific, and providing identity markers.

Literacy, literacies and multiliteracies bears various meanings to different people. Some believe that literacy is developed by cultures, while others believe that literacy and cultures developed an individual. There are single and multiple definitions of literacy, literacies and multi-literacies. Based on research, literacy is very important and continues to be developed through our rapidly changing world. Throughout this essay, we will focus on views of literacy, literacies, and multiliteracies and how their different meanings affect our approach to teaching literacy.

Not all students come to the classroom with the skills to write standardized English; even fewer students come with the skills to read vernacular texts” (93). Devereaux said that what almost all of us come to class equipped with are beliefs about language, how it is and should be. In this article,

Since the beginning of time man has discovered communication through language to be a vital way to exist in a civilized world. Over the centuries, man has overcome many barriers to find ways to effectively communicate amongst each other through language. Cultural differences, religious beliefs, languages dialects, and societal influences have all contributed to the “common” language used today. “Each has paid, and is paying a different price for this “common” language, in which, as it turns out, they are not saying, and cannot be saying, the same thing.” (Baldwin) In the following essays; “If Black English Isn’t A Language, Then Tell Me What Is?” and “Learning To Read and Write” mirrors the cultural feelings of education and learning dilemmas,

Our understanding of language, as languages educators becomes part of our professional stance and, as such, influences our curriculum, planning and classroom pedagogies. Teachers who view language simply as code make acquiring grammar and vocabulary the primary, if not the only, goal of language learning. Within such a limited approach, students do not begin to engage with language as a communicative reality but simply as an intellectual exercise or as a work requiring memorising.“It is primarily a conventional symbol system concerned with communication or coorperation between people” (Lyons, 1981) “Individual and social (Gee & Hayes, 2011) – people talk like others and yet all have their own style (Bakhtin, 1981, 1986). Every language shares the same basic design properties – nouns, verbs, sentences, and clauses (Chomsky, 1965).

Language is an art form through which shapes our understanding of ourselves and our world. (BOSTES, 2012). It is through language; where human beings are able express their inner thoughts and emotions. Language is defined as the verbal behaviour; gestures, body movement (Pierce & Eplin, 1999). The NSW K-10 English Syllabus emphasises that language is central to the intellectual, social, and emotional development of all students and that the model of language development is through a sociolinguistic approach. Sociolinguistics is referred to as the study of language and its relationship with culture and society (Kennedy, 2014). Sociolinguistics is an approach through which correlates with the NSW K-10 English Syllabus, as learning English, is recursive and develops through ever-widening contexts (BOSTES, 2012). It is through English, where students develop their critical and imaginative faculties to broaden their capacity for cultural understanding. (BOSTES, 2012). Through the syllabus (the rationale, aims, objectives, outcomes, stage statements and content), is the notion of how students will develop an appreciation of language as well as the skills in composing, understanding values and attitudes. Thus, the study of English, as expressed in the syllabus, allows students to learn across the curriculum as well as develop an understanding about and dress contemporary issues they face (BOSTES, 2012).

Throughout the history of language, we have developed such a strong understanding on the effects of communication and how as humans we need this social standard to ultimately survive and get through day to day tasks, in this piece I am going to explore how at different points in time and different social standards how if we derive social context and human interaction from communication it separates and completely takes away from the sole purpose of ‘language’. We will look at how children in the classroom are constantly seeking cognitive challenges and how to attach information and knowledge into the process of developing a structured vocabulary and grammar system to communicate to the others around them, and how throughout time our need for

1. How does language or words shape everyday social reality (119-20)?   What does the word “respect” mean in your culture, in the Mexican culture (120), in your intercultural partner’s culture, etc.?   What is the fallacy in the following statement? “The key to successful intercultural communication is respect.”

Language is a crucial tool that connects individuals of diverse geographical differences, enables understanding of one’s culture and belief, and facilitates comprehension of one’s own needs especially with regards to healthcare. So how does one adopt to a country not her own and a language she less likely speak her entirely life, with pronunciation of words she couldn’t even utter correctly or couldn’t speak it at all? Let’s take a peak of the different scenarios, experiences and perspective of people who encounters dilemmas in language as a barrier.

Homo sapiens have distinguished themselves from the rest of the animal kingdom by incorporating complex language and communication into everyday life. Language is designed to share ideas and experiences with others in a given community. As described in the textbook, an ecological niche is the role a species holds within its environment. Human kind has managed to defend against harsh environmental conditions, predators and cross-cultural differences using language as a means of survival. The development of language has allowed for us to develop resources needed to stay on top of the animal food chain. Accessing unexplored resources and allowing humans to communicate, even when language barriers occur, has set

Language is a complex tool used by humans to convey meaning, express emotion and pass down information, it is a multi-faceted entity that is found in many forms. Language does not just mean the spoken language used in everyday life to express intent, ask questions, identify objects and convey feelings, but includes body language, such as facial expression and hand gestures, and written language. Body language is used both consciously and unconsciously to express emotion and feeling without speaking and can be combined with oral language to enhance or change meaning. Written language allows humans to visually record information, pass down ideas and connect people from great distances. These are by no means the only forms that language is found in, digital language, sign language, tactile language, religious language, mathematical language, musical language and many more are all forms of language.

Undoubtedly, in any human community language plays a vital role, securing social sustainability. The language of any society and culture tells a lot about local citizens. Indeed, language is not only a way of communication, but national symbols, music, and art. From this point of view, culture is not only a language in its general sense but the mutual recognition of soul values by people communicating within the culture. This way, individuals can communicate both verbally and non-verbally. Arabic is my native language, and the role it plays can never be overemphasized. Thus, I would like to share some narratives and experiences, to examine how they have changed my outlook, life, and understanding of the world around.

Language enables man to communicate with other people and to describe the world. Language reflects the attitudes, cultures, emotions and the personality of people. Therefore, language communicated by men and women varies. Social networking has revolutionized communication and it is now used for business, recreation and entertainment. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube have millions of users. The language used by users on these social networking sites shows how linguistic behaviour of men differs from those of women. Our social as well as linguistic behavior has changed because of social networking sites. The linguistic style used on social networking sites reveals intentions as well as social identity and gender. Both men and women have varying speech styles and on an average the content posted by men and women globally on social networking sites differs. There are striking differences between how men and women use social networking sites, which suggests that both these genders have different ways of communicating since, social networking is the new way of communication in the 21st century!! The gender is clearly indicated based-on gender-specific keywords in profiles. Language affects the manner in which people interact as male or female and create cultural and sociological identity. The linguistic style used in words or categories of words uncover gender dynamics.

The innovation of communication technology has had a major impact on teaching language and how it is learnt, causing a major paradigm shift in authorship and how language is disseminated in a community. This paper will critique the important issue on how language is related to technology and these are the status of what is referred to as CALL (Computer assisted learning language), its cultural influence, its effectiveness and theoretic overview. Additional to this, the paper will analyse the findings of electronic literacy, research on how the technology in learning and teaching can have an impact on the essence of teachers, and electronic telecommunication and tele-collaboration.