The Importance Of Language In Communication

Language is an object that is central to human lives as it is perhaps the most significant cultural tool that separates humans from any other species (Evans, 2014). As language is multimodal, it is often described as a combination of words, sounds, gestures and images created by the mind, used in context with the assistance of objects, actions and interactions (Gee & Hayes, p. 7, 2011). The topics discussed in this essay will demonstrate the importance of language as both an object and as a social process, as a teacher’s approach to diversity in the classroom can be either damaging to a student’s educational experience or uplifting and positive.

Walking into my high school, I already had trouble understanding the language, and top of that, I constantly feared eyes judging me. I felt lonely and lost hope of living a joyful life similar to the one I experienced in India. At times, I grew frustrated with the criticism I received when I could not effectively express my thoughts, but today, I write papers and give presentations fluently. My tenacity disproved my judgment and I started believing anything is achievable with determination. When I acknowledged the criticisms and challenged myself to learn the language and make wonderful friends, a different me

I immigrated to the US with my family six years ago. At that time, we had a hard time adapting to the new environment because of the new language and the differences in culture. During the first few weeks after I started school, I felt really frustrated at myself as my inadequate english skills were not good enough for me to communicate with my teachers and peers. However, my parents were the ones that suffered the most. The language barrier made it difficult for them to find jobs and get through their daily life tasks. I still remember vividly that one time when my dad and I went to a pharmacy to pick up his medications. He struggled to communicate with the pharmacist and recieved juding stares for his broken English. For the first time in

The positive effects of adult support for children can be witnessed as children gain confidence and show an increased level of self-esteem. These positive effects are reinforced when encouraged and given praise for their achievements from teachers, parents, carers, and other adults.

Context is also significant in determining what type of language is appropriate in a specific setting. Consider how an individual’s language changes according to the social environment. An example of this is the difference between how someone might speak to a friend over coffee and how they speak during a job interview. To put this in an educational setting, how an early childhood educator would speak to their students, opposed to the language used by a high school educator. Emmitt, Zbaracki, Komesaroff and Pollock (2010) noted that there are multiple versions of language within the English language (p. 50). Each profession develops a jargon specific to their field. This is known as ‘discourse’, described by Flowerdew (2012) as “language in its context of use.” (p. 1). Understanding the discourse specific to a field of interest enables an individual to interact and participate within that setting (Flowerdew, 2012, p. 1). For example, the education profession uses a discourse which includes terms such as pedagogy, curriculum, and syllabus. When interacting professionally within an education Discourse, it is expected that these terms are understood in context.

Throughout the many years’ humans have been on earth we have always been studying other animals, and the way they communicate, and through the many discoveries we have found many animals that have shown incredibly communication abilities, like dolphins who are able to communicate with a complex language and Titi monkeys who talk with sentence structure.

There are many species of life that are more than able to communicate, but humans have a unique form of communication. We are the only species capable of using language as a form of communication. Think about the first people and how difficult it would have been for them to communicate without language. From never having a single word to over hundreds of thousands of words in modern times, all the words that were created in order for people to communicate are a part of a complex system. It is a difficult concept to understand because we 've been using language for most of our lives and all of these words have been in place for thousands of years. Language is something that is constantly changing, it 's not an every day change, but it is gradually evolving. For the most part, language is passed down through generations so parents and children are able to communicate with one another. Changes in language have occurred throughout centuries over a short period of time and have evolved through different degrees of English such as old English, middle English, and modern English.

Language, and how we choose to use language to communicate is taken for granted every day by a substantial number of Americans. We do this because, we don’t completely understand how important language is. We take for granted how it’s used to fit into society, influence others, or even stand up for ourselves, and until we can put into perspective what it’s like to have limited access to it, we will continue to take part in this central way of thinking. The best way for a person to truly value language as a tool is by putting oneself in the shoes of a person visiting/ living in America from another country with a limited common language. I came to this realization by mistake. By making friends with people from different parts of the world I

Language is a core and critical component in interpersonal relationships. Therefore, it makes sense that research is starting to reveal the specific ways individuals communicate can have a great impact in how well two people get along, how well two people like each other, and how similar those two people are in other ways. The Bower (n.d.) article shows that specific words, such as pronouns, can be the key to determining conversational alignment. The pronouns people use when speaking or writing indicate how much the person is other-centered versus self-centered. The so-called "function words" are important because they "tap into verbal coordination between two people because these words are independent of conversation topics and require shared knowledge to be used effectively," (Bower 2). It is for this reason that people from two completely different ethnic backgrounds, or people with entirely different careers or political views can share lives and get along.

The categorisation of humans into various gender related groups is something spanning across time and cultures. Possible causes of such divisions include grammatical forms of communication, a prospect investigated by structuralism. A variety of approaches concerned with the classification of language in the mind (Jenkins, 1992), it demonstrates just how the power of spoken and written word creates detachments between men and women. Key thinkers including Claude Lévi-Strauss and Ferdinand de Saussure are credited with introducing and popularising the movement and evidence provided by Bourdieu, Louie & Low and Abu-Lughod shows the utilisation of verbal communication in contrasting areas. These ethnographies display structuralism via the linguistic communications they detail, with their contexts holding great importance as they inform meaning (Schirato & Yell, 2000). Interpretations of the organisation of a Kabyle house, the significance of ‘wen-wu’ in Eastern Asia and hushed conversations between Bedouin women all relate to the divisive nature of language in societies. The intention of this report is to determine the degree to which language-based communication establishes the gender-based groups individuals belong to, using structuralism to explain my reasoning.

According to Tony Wagner, collaboration across networks, adaptability, and effective oral and written communication are among the most important skills for which employers today are looking. In America, “the fastest growing segment of the U.S. public school population is English-language learners, which means that” learning a foreign language is not just beneficial in order to speak to people around the world – it is also beneficial in order to speak to our own American citizens (Cox). Therefore, globally, and even locally, the skills necessary for economic success cannot be complete without collaboration across global networks, language adaptability, and oral and written foreign language communication. Foreign languages and the knowledge that comes with them include much more than simply communicating with others – it includes exposure to “a different set of aesthetics, cuisines, philosophies, politics, histories, and traditions” that even further expands the speaker’s mind (Kim). In the globalized world in which we live today, foreign interactions are common in the workplace, on social media, and in politics as technology has made it easier than ever to have conversations with people thousands of miles away. Globalization has made foreign countries far more accessible for us to reach, communicate with, and create relationships with, in business or personally. Communicating with foreign language speakers is a definite step in the direction of true globalization, but in

Language can be analysed as an item or material object and by doing so we can identify that language is made up of words and a series of rules to help us form sentences. However, if language is only viewed as a material object and not a social process, language becomes purely vocabulary and learning grammatical rules. In this case, language would be “fixed and finite” and wouldn’t “explore the complexities involved in using language for communication” (Scarino & Liddicoat, 2009, p. 16). The main function of language is to help us communicate with one another in a clear and concise manner. Language appears on advertisements, books, online in chat rooms or social media, speeches, recordings from the past and it is always in our minds; all day, every day. Language is systematic, indicating that it is governed by a set of rules to make meaning out of words, phrases and sentences. However, language is also shaped by the social context, which is greatly influenced by the relationship of the speakers (Gardner, 2017a, s. 13). According to Chomsky (2006, pp. 99-100), we all have an innate language makeup which begins to develop language structure in utero. This is demonstrated through all of us having been exposed to various experiences and training, however, still acquiring grammar that is extremely similar. Australia is very culturally diverse and because of this, teachers may find that some students may experience difficulties with their language development due to their

The successful use of language is imperative to be able to effectively function within today 's society. While there are many ways to convey language; not only through written and spoken form but through the use of pictures, signs, symbols and body language; for this essay, written and oral language will remain the main focus. Both mediums are developed very differently and help individuals see the world from different viewpoints (Winch, Ross Johnson, March, Ljungdahl, & Holliday, 2006 p.186; Winch et al., 2006, p. 186). Written language involves the use of handwriting, spelling, grammar and punctuation skills and the syntax of sentences to be conveyed effectively whereas, spoken language involves the use of four main components using phonological, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic skills. These directly relate to knowing sound patterns, having the ability to structure sentences, knowing meaning of words and sentences and being able to communicate within different contexts (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014, p. 21). According to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA, 2015), Australian Standard English (ASE) is the chosen dialect of spoken and written language used in Australian formal settings for official and public purposes. This dialect of English is often recorded within dictionaries and style guides. Diverse language reflects the different world Englishes and different variations of dialects spoken within Australia (Winch et al.,

Language is essential to human communication because of the definition and signification of words, formation of complex clauses with these phrases, and ultimately, the sharing of ideas. Locke and Augustine present conflicting points of view on the argument of language’s purpose and, thus, pose contrasting answers to the questions: what is language and what is its meaning? While, Locke expresses a strictly internalist view on language and the individuality of words’ significance, Augustine represents the hybrid theory of referentialism and internalism, more accurately explaining the inner acquisition of language and its importance in the exchange of ideas.

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.