The Function Of English: The Primary Functions Of Language

Do you ever think about the way you speak and why? Well, Paul Robert does an excellent job explaining why people use the dialect they use in Speech Communities. He discusses that people change their use of language throughout their lives to conform to either society or to what kind of person they want to be, or to just conform to who they need to be at a particular moment, in which I agree. People’s choice of language, including myself, are affected by many of their surroundings, such as where they live and grow up at, their peers, and a person’s work place.

Language is a very important and significant part of individuals’ life. It is considered as one of the best device of social behavior. Language is a means with the help of which people communicate and send a social message to one another. But language does have very special characteristics according to which it changes and very depending on many factors. According to the researchers there are no two people who speak identically. Their languages vary as per their geographic location, age, gender, ethnicity, social background etc. many a time, it is observed that even the members from same family speak differently due to differences in their location ( Biber & Conrad, 2014). For example, in my neighborhood, there is a difference in the ways of

Making sure you use proper English and clearly pronounce words will have a positive impact on a child's speech and language and communication development. Also Using ‘OWL’ (Observe, Wait, Listen) when Speaking to children, This gives children time to take the question in, Think about it and then respond, Children often need longer to think about what you have just said so speaking clearly and slowly to children will really impact their development. You will find you get more out of the child when doing this. They will respond appropriately and they will learn new vocabulary from you. We use ‘Words of the week’ We differentiated them for the less able and more able, This gives children chance to learn new vocabulary and have a wider vocabulary.

There is a variety of English, for example colloquialism. Colloquialism and slang may seem similar to a certain extent. These words are alike because they both mean a word or phrase that is not formal or improper english. However, colloquialism is standard english and slang is not. Slang is normally being used in certain society groups such as teenagers. Also colloquialism enriches the language and slang would degrade it.

While reading chapter six from Beyond Grammar Language, Power, and the Classroom, written by Mary R. Harmon and Marilyn J. Wilson, I began to realize how much we become caught up in the rules of the so-called Standard American English. It is sad because people are being judged on their dialect, which is a representation of who people are and where they are from. I have found myself correcting people that have a different dialect, or correcting people that say words that I have been told were not proper language, such as the word ain’t. Standard American English is something that is embedded in our brains at a young age and as we go through school; language is something teachers are constantly correcting children on. Reading about dialect has

“A language variety is basically the style of language that a speaker chooses, whether it be slang, jargon, formal or baby-talk. Social factors are the primary reason that speakers choose different styles,” (Payne). Language allows Cumulative human experience, shared perspective, as well as it allows complex, shared, goal directed behavior. “The physical environment of a conversation or oral presentation plays a large role in the variety of language an individual uses,” (Payne). The difference between how and individual may speak with their grandmother and how the speak to a friend is huge. There is always a time and place in which one should speak in a formal language, other times it is alright to talk informal. Language impacts my life in a huge way and it is mostly in a bad way. I surround myself by people that speak a lot of slang and a lot of curse words so it was bound to affect my language, the way I speak has a lot to do with the people I spend my time

Sure, all of us sound different and use different dialects and slang but does that define us? In America if a southerner moved to the north, at first they would sound very different. That doesn’t mean they have a lesser education or make how they sound wrong. Southerners have a very strong accent and use their own slang. That's not a bad thing. It just shows where they came from. Eventually after spending years in the north their accent may start to fade but the person as a whole does not change. With or without the accent, they are still the same person.

Language is used as a tool to convey ideas and varies between cultures. It can have certain forms that can make it easier or harder to convey ideas depending on what the speakers know. A dialect is a form of a language that connects people that live in the same part of a country. However, different dialects can still be understood by people that speak the same language. This allows ideas to be spread through different parts of a country and unifies the culture. Language can even unify people internationally if a person learns the language of a country on the other side of the world.

As different dialects of a language develop they are shared with the people of the area. People often use the dialect of those that they interact with most. To explain this simply, a person who only speaks Chicano English is fine in their daily interactions with other speakers of the dialect but they may have trouble speaking with a Northern Dialect. The spread of language change depends on the factors that are causing it. The natural change in language over time smarts in a small area and spreads to everyone that it comes in contact with.

Knowing how to write properly is an important part of your education. Once you start your career after college, not a day will go by that you will not use what you learn English 111. A few things that will make you successful in English 111 include working ahead in class, asking for help if you need it, and studying.

Since there do exist different English varieties it is clear that the most important are the American English and the British English, which are quietly different yet so connected with each other. Generally, it is agreed that no one version is "correct" however, there are certainly preferences in use. However, there are a lot of grammatical differences between these two, which sometimes cannot be identified by English speaking peoples unless they are very meticulous or linguistics to understand them, but also the native speaker of both these varieties can easily detect these grammar differences. They are present in pronunciation differences in both consonants and vowels, in intonation and word stressing; also differences are in vocabulary, in verbs, nouns, phrasal verbs and also using names of items or tools. The main difference can be seen in spelling where a general difference is in the usage of prefix and suffix. Also differences are seen in the use of auxiliary verbs, past tense verbs, tag questions etc… So the British and American English have more similarities than

Among the most important concepts to emerge are those relating to dialects and language standards. Sociolinguists have documented the presence of dialects in every language. These dialects, all of which are legitimate, are associated with educational, economic, social and historical conditions. Hence, even if an individual scrupulously studies all the possible dictionaries of a random language, he would still be somewhat of a stranger to that language since he is unaware of all the dialectal changes.

Non-standard dialects are regarded with contempt, mistreated as improper forms of a language. Linguists and researchers reported that speakers of minor varieties seem to form negative attitudes towards their culture, rating their own varieties badly and lacking respect for them (Lambert et al., 1960; Genesee & Holobow, 1989, as cited in Campbell-Kibler, 2011). With the fear of being prejudged, speakers of other dialects begin to feel inferior about their vernacular dialect and start to use the variety with higher status when they are surrounded by outsiders and they would employ their dialect again only if they are with their tribes (Petyt,

The article begins with David Crystal going explaining how English is the global language today. He explains how English is everywhere, it can be found all around the world, even headlines in other countries are written in English. From here David switches views and shows the reader that not everyone understands English, others all around the world, view English differently. English is not everyone’s first language and some even may feel threatened that

With the development of living standard in society, studying aboard has become more and more popular. Not only because of English as the world language is an agent to connect countries, but also speaking English fluently will be beneficial for the future personal development. In order to study oversea smoothly, the first step is to go through the language--English. Generally speaking, English has been divided into two different types according to the purposes which are English for Academic Purpose (EAP) and General English (GE). It is obvious that EAP teaches the knowledge which will be suitable for a higher education whereas GE is mainly focus on daily communications. Therefore, the teaching style or perhaps teacher’s role in the class is also different. In this essay, the writer will illustrate two different classifications by Harmer and Scrivener, after compare and contrast the two the teacher’s role, the writer will select one of the classification and justify it. Finally, the chosen classification will be put into practice ( justifying with the radios provided).