The Importance Of Language In Education

All language theorists acknowledge nature and nurture both play significant roles in children’s language development. However, the theoretical debate to whether nature or nurture is the dominant tool during a child’s language

As an educator, it is important to consider the different languages and language variations that may be present in the classroom. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2017) shows that within Australia there are over three hundred different languages spoken, and over twenty percent of the population speaks a language other than English at home. Here within lies a powerful resource of diverse languages and skills that should be valued and encouraged (Adoniou, 2014). However, it is important to understand that for many students, the languages or language variations that are spoken at home often clash with the expectations of language usage at school. When ignored, this can result in students feeling shame in their identity and a sense of failure (Malcom & Ziljstra, 2011). Language variations, should, therefore, be acknowledged, respected and where possible incorporated into learning (Ewing, Callow, & Rushton, 2016). As an educator, it is important to embrace and celebrate diversity and ensure that all students feel valued and empowered. Furthermore, resources should reflect a diverse range of perspectives and social and geographical backgrounds, in order to recognise, validate and celebrate the diversity that exists within

Language development is one of the most important milestones fulfilled during infancy and early childhood. Though, there is no exact answer as to how an infant learns language. I believe that the ability to learn language is something that comes from our interactions with people, such as parents, teachers, other children, and just about anyone who is in our lives for extended periods of time that may aid us in this stage of development. Though this may not be the way infants learn language, empirical research has been done that supports my belief. One such study relates the quality of center-based childcare to cognitive and language development. Another study found an association between infant gaze following and pointing and vocabulary growth. Lastly, a third study found a significant relationship between book reading and the development of language.

This juxtaposition of cultural identities is especially apparent in schools where children arrive with their already learned cultural language and are often expected by their educators and peers to learn and use standard Australian English. In early childhood, language is the primary tool with which children learn cultural knowledge, norms and skills (Gee, 2011, p. 16), strongly informing their cultural identity. Children who are bilingual, or multilingual, often demonstrate enhanced language skills gained from their ability to switch between languages (Adoniou, 2014; Fellowes et al., 2014, p. 39), but these children are not always understood and supported. When educators dismiss the languages of students who speak English variants or languages other than English at home, they risk underestimating and disempowering those students (Adoniou, 2014; Caruso, 1997, p. 93). It is vital that instead of requiring students to assimilate, to learn and to use the language register of the school or classroom, educators should be supporting students for whom English is not a first language, or who speak an English variant (Pandey, 2012, p. 388). Educators should be valuing the qualities, abilities and strengths these students bring to the classroom (Emmitt et al., 2010, p. 53), as well as educating their monolingual students about

Language is a natural gift from an early age, such as a baby crying when it is hungry and those progresses further as they get older. There are many activities that can assist with a childs progression in language development for instance talking to a child frequently and in full sentences. There is also reading

Argued children are born with Language Acquisition Device (LAD): Help acquire language naturally with the help of the brain.

There are several theories regarding language development. Work by Chomsky, Piaget and Kuhl are critical. Studies by Chomsky, as examined by Albery, Chandler, Field, Jones, Messer, Moore and Sterling (2009); Deloache, Eisenberg & Siegler (2003) argued for the innateness of language acquisition due to its complexity. Development is assisted by a language acquisition device (LAD) and universal grammar both of which holding the propensity for commonalities throughout all languages. LAD is the key to the Syntax rule. The knowledge to master the rules is held unconsciously. Chomsky concludes exposure through auditory channels as being the only requirement for learning. Arguably Kuhl (2010) writes infantile exposure to language through auditory channels only, does not contribute effectively to learning indicating the importance of human interaction. Piaget, as discussed by Ault (1977) postulated language as not being part of the earliest stages of development. Signifying within sensorimotor stage, between birth and two years, the child’s development is too reflexive. Gleitman, Fridlund and Reisberg (2004) discuss the critical period hypothesis and suggest the young brain being more suited to acquisition than the adult brain. Lenneberg (1967) (as cited in Gleitman et al 2004) advocates, brain maturation closes language acquisition capacity window. Kuhl (2010) identified, within the critical period babies develop

Language can also be diverse and standard. Australia is a diverse country and cultural diversity plays a major part in language. When understanding the enormity of language diversity, we can view The Australian Bureau of Statistics (2015). The ABS (2015) reports that 28.2% of the Australian resident population were born overseas, which equates to approximately 6.7 million people. World languages and world Englishes will be present in school communities. Emmitt (2010, p 53) tells us teacher’s must appreciate that children who acquire another first language will bring a different culture and a diverse way of creating reality and meaning. Adoniou (2014) expresses concern being society participates in destruction of a child’s mother tongue,

Teaching relies on communication and in that respect, language is a key aspect of the learning process. Therefore, it is critical that a teacher is very aware of the language that is used and the hidden messages that also commonly underlie language. As indicated by Greenberg (2014), “emotion drives both children’s cognitive abilities and their language abilities.” So in this sense, because language is connected to social-emotional learning, it is critical that teachers are aware of this and treat their use of language in an appropriate manner.

The consensus belief is that the capacity for language is innate, while others believe its environmental variables play a deciding role. In the end, it boils down to the nature versus nurture debate. Does the environment we are exposed to or our genetics’ play a larger role?

However, some researchers emphasize the influences of learning on language acquisition, while others emphasize the biological influences. Children’s ability to understand language develops faster than their ability to speak it. Receptive language is the ability to understand language, and expressive language is the ability to use language to communicate. If a mother tells her fifteen-month-old child to put the toy back in the toy chest, he may follow her instructions even though he can’t repeat them himself. Language is a cognition that truly makes us human. Whereas other species do communicate with an innate ability to produce a limited number of meaningful vocalizations, or even with partially learned systems, there is no other species known to date that can express infinite ideas (sentences) with a limited set of symbols (speech sounds and words). This ability is remarkable in itself. What makes it even more remarkable is that researchers are finding evidence for mastery of this complex skill in increasingly younger children. Infants as young as 12 months are reported to have sensitivity to the grammar needed to understand causative sentences. http://www.simplypsychology.org/language.html

Language is a powerful communication system that is unique to human species. Naturally, children start to develop language skills months after their birth (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014). They first begin with oral language to understand others then they learn other language forms (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014). The various forms of language enable children to communicate effectively, understand and create meaningful materials (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014). This is achieved through mastering the key components and systems within language. However, the process of language development is greatly affected by children’s learning and social experiences (Green, 2006). Thus, education and community play a vital role in children’s language growth. Analysing language as object and recognising that it is a social process allow educators to create further opportunities for development in the classroom settings. Ultimately, equipping children with the essential language skills for success. Language is diverse in material forms and it is extremely important that education provide the adequate language skills for children’s lifelong learning. In the current society, children are surrounded with communication through various mediums of visual, audio, print materials and digital texts (Green, 2006). The primary form of language is oral language which is believed to be existed since the beginning of the human race (Gee & Hayes, 2011). It involves producing and understanding sounds, words, gestures, actions and interactions (Gee & Hayes, 2011). These abilities develop through children’s interactions with others on daily basis (Gee & Hayes, 2011). According to Gee, the basic set of oral language skill is known as vernacular variety which is the foundation for further language development (2004, as cited in Gee & Hayes, 2011). As children grow up and engage in more learning experiences, they acquire the knowledge of other language forms and use them for different purposes, such as speech, reading and writing (Gee & Hayes, 2011). Writing is great tool for self-expression and creating meanings (Cremin & Myhill, 2012). It is believed that written materials have brought a revolution to humanity equality as it allows individuals to express

Every day all forms of teachers are teaching children that communication is vital to life in the modern world, but they are preventing them from learning any language beyond their native tongue. In Europe alone, there are twenty-four official languages (Jaffron et al). This count excludes the numerous regional languages that pop up across the continent. Europe has forty-four countries in a land that is of comparable size to the United States. Twenty-four languages in forty-four countries, yet each new wave of teachers are teaching the same rhetoric repeatedly. They are teaching the children that it is fine to seclude themselves to knowing a single language. “We Americans do a less than adequate job when it comes to teaching our children a foreign language. We start too late and we do too little to convince our children about why learning a foreign language is so important,“ says Jo-Anne Shick in the article “Language Teacher Education: The Challenge for the Twenty-first Century,” A child in the U.S. could be able to talk to a child in Finland, Vietnam, or South Africa in a literal moment, but that connection often never happens, because they do not speak each other's language. They have the possibility to be constantly interacting with people from other countries, cultures, and language backgrounds, but without the knowledge base gained from a well known second language, they will be unable to reach their full potential in expressing themselves in this ever-shrinking world.

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

How are languages created? Why are there so many different languages being created? Some languages are constantly undergoing changes, and some languages disappear fairly quickly. What determines when a language will emerge and how it will change over time? While the key factor for language creation is the need for communication on a small scale among individuals, the pressures for language change mainly come from societal changes on a broader scale.