How to Teach a Particular Language Point to a Specific Group of Students - Report Example

LANGUAGE INVESTIGATION RESEARCH Name: Institution affiliated: Date of submission: Tutor: Lecture 1 lecture 2014 When studying languages, it is essential to understanding the meaning of the term language. Language is a conventional system of signs that allows for the creative communication of meaning. It entails an understanding of man ability to understand and apply complex systems to encourage communication. Language is thus the most fundamental form of communication advanced from the complex systems. Language learning is important as the study of the languages is critical in life experiences. Language equips the learner techniques to solve different issues in life. Language is also important as it also important as it provide the learner with various options in the career market. The learner gets chances to job options like marketing, law, artificial intelligence, teaching, journalism, speech therapy, forensic investigations and medical research. Language is divided into fields to help make effective the duties that are played in the daily activities of people. Such areas of language include Sociolinguistics which is the language in society, Historical linguistics which is the history of languages, Psycholinguistics which is psychology of language, Corpus linguistics, Neurolinguistics and Descriptive linguistics which are the components of language [Edw11]. Some features of the English language do or don’t exist in other languages and therefore might be easy or difficult for speakers of these languages to learn Learning a language entails understanding a number of the features that make up the language. All the characteristics found in different languages around the world are phonetics, phonology, semantics, morphology, grammar, syntax and pragmatics. Phonetics is the sounds or signs that are in the language and those that are not. Phonologies are the sounds that can start a word, end a word and follow each other. Semantics is certain sounds signify certain concepts or meanings. Morphology entails the methods used for the formation of words. Grammar is the words that are combined to form phrases and sentences. Syntax helps to string words constitutes a well-formed sentence. Pragmatics helps to identify the sentences that are appropriate in certain situations. The feature of the different languages makes them have common characteristics among them being the fact that all humans are capable of understanding it. Secondly, all languages change over time with the advancements in technology and other factors. In all languages there are similar rules and categories such as questions, verbs, and negation and past tense. Other common characteristics of the languages include sound/meaning relationship is arbitrary, finite sounds/rules, infinite use, discrete sound segments, vowels and consonants, universal semantic properties such as the distinction between male and female and languages are recursive [Sau00]. How to teach a particular language point to a specific group of students using a game or activity Teaching a particular language to a specific group of students should entail teaching and help them to understand all the features of that language. The feature includes phonetics, phonology, semantics, morphology, grammar, syntax, and pragmatics. One should first consider the age of the students as different ages need methods to teach them and equally different depths to understand all the different features of that particular language. When teaching those of a younger age, one should take time to teach all the basics of the language from the phonetics and syllables to the pragmatics and syntax of the language. After learning or teaching the sounds of a given language, then the grammar part takes the most essential part of learning or teaching a language. Grammar is explicit theory constructed by linguists to describe the speaker’s competence. There are two types of grammar that are descriptive and prescriptive. Descriptive grammar attempts to describe the rules internalized by a speaker of a language. No language or variety is superior to any other. Prescriptive does not describe the rules people know, but tells them the rules they should follow. Prescriptive grammar, however does not view a language as dynamic and changing. Some of the interesting, unusual, humorous or other additional points regarding the topic Some interesting point regarding the topic is that any given language has homonyms, homophones and homographs. The most interesting point is that such names in the different languages are bound to bring in confusion to the learner as they may give a word to mean a particular idea which could be completely different from the intended meaning. Homonyms are the words that sound the same, and spelled the same. However, homonyms have different meaning thus the reason there could be confusion in meaning. Homophones, on the other hand, are words in a given language that sound the same, but have both different meanings and are also spelled differently. Confusion in such words could be in meaning when being pronounced. The learner may understand the words differently when they are said, thus bringing in a different meaning. Finally, homophones are words that are spelled the same, but have different sound and meaning. A good example of such a word is attribute. The way that the pronunciation of such words is made brings all the difference in the meaning of the sentences said. Attribute could be used to mean the characteristics or traits of a given item while at the same time, the term attribute could mean saying that something belongs to and in such a case, it is said to be attributed to something [Sau00]. Lecture 2 vowels 2014 Vowels are letters of the alphabet of a given language that are produced where the air flow is not obstructed in their production. These letters are produced with the tongue, the glottis, the uvula, teeth and the lips. In all languages, we have a single unit of sound referred to as phoneme that has meaning in all languages. The word vowel is derived from the Latin word vocalis [Lau10]. There are six sections that are the main determinants of word formation and its meaning. Vowels are great role players in the six sections. The six sections are sound, morphology, syntax, semantics, tense and aspects and the broader aspects of communication. Sounds are the phonemes, intonations and stress that bring in the different pronunciation of words. Morphology entails how words are formed. Syntax determines the arrangement of words together to form meaning. Semantics is all about meaning while the aspect of tense determines the location and time fabric. Finally, the broader aspects of communication include paralinguistic. Vowels great role players in for all the six sections in the learning understanding processes for the different languages. Vowels are also important since they help to bring contract to different words thus helping to differentiate between the meanings of different terms. Sound and letters are usually represented in a different manner even if they look the same [Lau10]. In English, we have articulation features that distinguish between different vowels and their quality. These features include the height, phonation, its roundness, nasalization, backness and the tongue root retraction. The vertical position of the speakers tongue is what determines the length of the vowel, whether the tongue is relative to the jaw or vertically relative to the roof of the mouth. In this case there are low and high vowels. Those pronounced with the tongue positioned low in the mouth are known as low vowels whereas when the tongue is positioned high in the mouth are known as high vowels. The vowels height articulation has appeared to be basic and primary in all languages. This is because the height parameter is used as a contrastive feature across all languages. The position of the tongue relative to the front or back of the mouth during the vowel articulation is what is known as the backness of the vowel. With the back vowel, the tongue is positioned at the back of the mouth and the same case with a front vowel the tongue is positioned at the front of the mouth. The shape formed by the lips when pronouncing the vowel is what is referred to as the roundness of a vowel. Though in some languages the roundness and backness are treated the same. With the nasalisation, it simply refers to the air going through the nose. When a vowel is being pronounced and all the air escapes through the mouth it’s known as an oral vowel whereas the nasal vowels are pronounced with some air going through the mouth and some going through the nose. Vowels are also grouped according to their sounds variations over duration of time. These are monophthongs, diphthongs, and triphthongs. Vowels help to distinguish between one word to another though this importance tends to vary from one language to another. Monophthong is vowels that do not change given the duration of that certain vowel whereas diphthong changes from one quality to the other and diphthong and the triphthong changes through that vowels duration. Monophthong vowels are found in all languages while diphthongs are found in many languages, but triphthongs are rarely found. In English language, there are single phonemes that have multiple pronunciations. This kind of different pronunciation varies from one group of people to another depending with their origin. This kind of phoneme is known as an allophone. When a certain word changes its pronunciation because of its phoneme sound was replaced by al allophone it does not change the meaning of that particular word. There are two types of allophone that include the complementary and free variation allophones. When the speaker must select which allophone to use for a certain phoneme so as not to sound so native or to avoid causing any kind of confusion is known as the complementary allophone whereas the allophone which is can be freely used in any environment is known as the free variation allophone [Lau10]. Just like in English language, other languages have allophones. Some of these languages have a wide range of allophonic variation because they have a smaller inventory of phoneme. In English language, there are many processes for that allophone sound to be pronounced. These include shortening and lengthening of vowels, retraction, and completely devoicing sonorant, partially devoicing obstruents, devoicing sonorants partially, nasal plosion and lack of ploison. Some allophones are rarely used hence making many speakers not know their existence. Lecture 7 sentence structure 2014 Sentence is defined as a linguistic unit which consists of more than one word that are grammatically linked together. These meaningful words convey a command, question, exclamation, request, suggestion or even a statement. For that reason, a sentence could be viewed as an utterance of a complete thought that grammatically compete and correct. The definition of a sentence structure could be ambiguous in that other could define it as something that starts with a capital letter and the final part of it becomes a full stop. For these words to be considered a sentence, they must consist of one or more subordinate clause and the main clause. In most languages sentence are characterized by the inclusion of a finite verb. With the main clause must contain a finite verb and a subject noun phrase. This kind of the main clause is also known as an independent clause because it is a complete sentence on its own but does not give a complete thought [Vic12]. There are several types of sentences that are classified according to their structures and their purposes. Those that are classified according to their structure include a simple sentence, a compound sentence, a complex sentence and a complex-compound sentence while those classified according to their purpose include a declarative or declaration sentence, an interrogative sentence, an exclamatory sentence and an imperative sentence which is also known as a commanding sentence. A sentence that is composed of a single independent clause and does not have a dependent clause is known as a simple sentence whereas a compound sentence consists of more than one independent clause and does not have any dependent clauses. A sentence that consists of a single independent clause and also single dependent clause is known as a complex sentence. A sentence composed of multiple of independent clauses with at least one clause that is dependant is known as a complex-compound sentence [Fel12]. Sentences that are grouped according to their purposes tend to explain the action in that particular sentence. For instance, we have a declarative sentence which is also known as a declaration that in most cases is used to make a statement about an action. An interrogative sentence, on the other hand, is used to request or ask information. When one gives a statement that emphasizes is referred to as an exclamatory and imperative sentence is one that gives order, but when done with much emphases can be regarded as the exclamatory or exclamation sentence. Also, sentences can be grouped as either major or minor sentence. Sentences that do not contain a major clause are known as minor sentences and can also be referred to as an irregular sentence. A sentence that has a predicate and a subject in it is called a regular sentence, as well as a major sentence. How to teach a particular language point to a specific group of students using a game or activity A sentence constitutes of four major components and a few other minor components. These major components are words, phrases, clause, and sentences. It is the different words that are usually joined together to form phrases. A phrase could be in the form of noun phrases or verb phrases. Most sentences constitute of both the noun phrase and a verb phrase to have a verb and a subject which the verb that is the action towards the noun. Sentences cannot make a complete meaning if either the noun phrase or a verb phrase is missing in the sentence. It is so because the sentence could lack an action where only the noun phrase exists and could equally lack a subject where only the verb phrase exists. Simple sentences only comprise of a noun phrase and a verb phrase both of which are united together to bring out a complete meaning. Consequently, the complex sentences may differ from the simple sentences in that they may consist of multiple noun phrases and multiple verb phrases both of which would make independent meaning if they are to be split into simple sentences. The transitive action verbs have a definite object that receives the action being performed. In such a case, the action has a definite recipient who is the subject. The intransitive action verbs also show that there is an action being performed only that the action is not directed to a specific subject or object. It is easily recognized when the there is no subject to the question of who or what receives the action [Vic12]. Clauses are simple forms of sentences that could be complete on their own and have full meaning or could be incomplete and need to be joined using a verb phrase or another clause to have a complete meaning. There are two types of clauses namely, independent clause and the dependent clause. The independent clauses are complete on their own while the dependent clauses are on the other hand sentence fragments that need to be joined with others to bring out full meaning. Lecture 8 lecture 2014aspect, verb, tenses, clauses The lecture identifies the aspects, tenses, clauses and reviews on the sentence structures and patterns for a given specific language. Verbs are major words found in each sentence for any given language. They are part of the most important components forming sentences. The verbs in most cases talk about an action being undertaken and the state of the subject of the noun. It identifies how the action that the subjects takes or the state or situation which the subject takes. The manner in which they occur in the sentence determines the type verb that is in the sentence. Categorically, there are about five types of verbs namely action verbs, dynamic verbs, stative verbs ad linking verbs. The action verbs talk mostly about how the actions being undertaken y the subject. They tend to answer in most cases the question in a sentence. In order to recognize the action verbs, one only needs to look at the words in the sentences that take to answer the question of what the subject is doing. There are two types of action verbs that describe the actions of the subject namely transitive verbs and intransitive verbs [Yav06]. The transitive action verbs have a definite object that receives the action being performed. In such a case, the action has a definite recipient who is the subject. The intransitive action verbs also show that there is an action being performed only that the action is not directed to a specific subject or object. It is easily recognized when the there is no subject to the question of who or what receives the action. Dynamic verbs are used to denote the actual expression or action that is being done by the subject. In such a case, the action can be felt or can be seen physically. Stative verbs state or define the situation in which the subject is in and tells of the relationship that exists between the subject and the object. In the event that a verb is followed by an adverb in the same sentence, then the sentence ceases to be a compliment and becomes a verb phrase. Tenses are applicable in a sentence to answer the question of when. There are two major types of tenses in English and other languages. The tenses identified in English are majorly past tense and present tense. In some instances, however, the English language may also identify the present tense as a tense in English. After identifying the tense in which the action takes place, or a situation occurred, aspect brings in the flow of the event or the situation. The aspect brings in the duration in languages by providing the perfect aspect or the progressive aspect in a sentence. The progressive aspect in a sentence shows that actions, be it in the past or the future, is in progress. The aspect of perfect brings in an infinitive sense to the structure of the sentence [Yav06]. Clauses are simple forms of sentences that could be complete on their own and have full meaning or could be incomplete and need to be joined using a verb phrase or another clause to have a complete meaning. English identifies two types of clauses namely, independent clause and the dependent clause. The independent clauses are complete on their own and one can be enough information of the message being passed. The dependent clauses are on the other hand sentence fragments that need to be joined with others to bring out full meaning. There are three major types of dependent clauses namely; noun clauses, relative clauses, and adjunct or adverbial clauses. The noun clauses are used when a conjunction is followed by a noun phrase together with a verb phrase. How to teach a particular language point to a specific group of students using a game or activity Verbs, tenses, aspects and clauses are interrelated in any particular given language in that they need by used properly and together in a sentence structure to bring out the meaning or to effectively pass the message that needs to be passed across. Using all other factors properly and providing the wrong verb in a sentence means that the message may not be effectively passed across as there would be a disagreement in the question of subject that received the action. Using the wrong tense in a sentence structure means that the timing of the message being passed across would be wrong. For this reason, an individual who wishes to learn a particular language should ensure that they learn how to use all the components harmoniously to ensure that they pass on the right message to the right subject. Similarly, the information to be passed on should also be time conscious in that it should use the right tense[Vic12]. Lecture 9, 2014 lecture semantics Semantics is a branch of language that is concerned with logic. Semantics is divided into a number of branches and sub-branches which include formal semantics, lexical semantics, and conceptual semantics. The study of semantics focuses on the relationship that exists between the signifiers such as words, signs, phrases, and symbols. It also focuses on what each of the variable stands for, and the denotation used for each. The formal semantics are those that study the logical aspects of meaning, such as sense, reference, implication, and logical form, lexical semantics, which studies word meanings and word relations, and conceptual semantics, which studies the cognitive structure of meaning. The formal semantics help to construct models that speakers may use to identify and define the relationship that exist between the expressions and the natural language. Whereas the formal semantics provides the meaning of expressions, lexical semantics investigates on word meaning. The lexical semantics deals with individual words by reflecting on the related relationship of the word. The conceptual framework for semantics was developed characteristically for the conceptualization and proper understanding of the words and sentences. Conceptual semantics is often characterized with the understanding of children and first-time learners of a given language. Conceptual semantics provides explanatory form of semantic representation. Such representation is referred to as explanatory in the sense that it offers a given linguistic theory the ability to describe how the different components of a language are acquired by children and first-time language learners [Sau00]. Some features of the English language do or don’t exist in other languages and therefore might be easy or difficult for speakers of these languages to learn All forms of semantics are found in the other language which is the same case with English. Semantics is used in al languages as the different sentences and words in the different languages have to have meaning in order to enhance communication. Semantics, especially the conceptual semantics provide contemporary theories for syntax. It identifies the means through which sentences are constructed in different languages. Formal semantics and lexical semantics are used in all languages to bring meaning in words for proper understanding of instructions given or communicated to different people. How you would teach a particular language point to a specific group of students using a game or activity Semantics is used to bring meaning to words and sentences. It is through this that the sentences can be understood, and people act accordingly in the case where instructions are given. Various activities can be undertaken to teach semantics to a specific groups of students. First, the learner should take to identify different meanings for sentences and words provided. Such a lesson should e done through getting as many words and sentences as possible and trying to interpret them so as to bring meaning to the words. Secondly, the specific group being taught that particular language could also take to interchange the sentence structure through interchanging the different words in the same sentence. The interchanging of the sentences should be done with or without changing the meaning of the sentence. Similarly, the interchanging of the words in sentences should also be done in such a way that the sequence of the sentence brings an ordered meaning. Personal experiences in learning or teaching particular language points Semantics in general bring in different meanings to words and sentences in languages. Semantics thus provide individuals with antonyms, homonyms, homographs, homophones and illogical word choices. Homonyms are the form of semantics that usually share the same name, but the name brings in different meaning in the language. The homonyms provide different meanings to the same words. Homophones are words with the same sound but have different meaning. The pronunciation of such words is usually the same only that there is usually a slight difference with the spelling of the words. Homographs are semantics that are written the same way, but have different pronunciation and the difference in the pronunciation brings all the difference in the meanings of the words. The pronunciation of the words in homographs brings all the difference between the homographs and the homonyms. Illogical word choices entail the use of words in different situations in such a way that the same words are used in different sentences to bring completely different meanings. Similarly, it could entail the use of different words that have the same meaning for a given language [Yav06]. The understanding of semantics should, however, be done to ensure that the meaning that is brought out words is not contradictory, anomaly, ambiguous or vague. The meaning of the sentences should have a complete understanding of the pronunciation, spelling, meaning and sound. The order of words used for different sentences in the different languages should be proper to enhance quality delivery of messages to different people. It is, therefore, important for one to understand the semantic roles that they play in their quest to learn a specific language [Edw11]. Word count 4,165 words Plagiarism score 4% REFERENCES Edw11: , (Edward, 2011), Sau00: , (Saunders, 2000), Lau10: , (Laurel & Donna, 2010), Vic12: , (Victoria, 2012), Fel12: , (Felicity, 2012), Yav06: , (Yavas, 2006), Vic12: , (Victoria, 2012), Read More