The Creation and Knowledge of a Language - Essay Example

The relationship between Centripetal and Centrifugal forces of Society in shaping language The creation and knowledge of a language is akin to the art of knowing about an entire culture, nation and people. The forces of society and its basic structure also contribute the definition and alteration of language. Language may be defined as a form of expression that reveals a person's identity and gives him or her a sense of belonging. But how does a language spring from the relationship between the centripetal and centrifugal forces in society It may be said here that it is cycle where the forces within society define language and language helps define and alter the forces in society as well. To begin with, the role of language in one's life is one that fulfils the need to belong. (Crystal, 2005) This sense of belonging springs from one's immediate environment where there is focus on the language one speaks along with complementary elements like accent, nuances and other such features that form the general social and cultural terrain of the particular place. Language offers people first hand knowledge of a variety of symbols that one comes to associate with a place. This in turn generates a more enriching quality to one's experiences. Experiences in various spheres helps in understanding the forces within society and how these forces define and alter language. (Mercer, 1996) In knowing and learning a language, whether by birth or subsequent settlement, there is a certain amount of satisfaction that helps contribute to one's sense of identity. This also has certain mental implications as it shows the person's basic aptitudes, besides brining him or her face to face with the challenges of implementing the language. This makes a person draw from experiences of the past, learn from present experiences and contribute to future experiences, which will shape his or her overall life experiences. This also renders a certain amount of creative and communicative competency to a person and his or her sense of confidence with which he or she carries out interactions with people. This creates a working relationship between centrifugal and centripetal forces in society towards the definition and alteration of language. (Crystal, 2005) Centripetal and Centrifugal Forces Formal and Informal Means of Learning: Centripetal Forces Within every society there are formal and informal means of learning that support the definition and alteration of language. Let us stop for a moment and consider the word "formal". This word has been used above in the context of generating the difference between theory and practice as it may be seen from a variety of perspectives. To begin with, a person's formal education begins at school and goes on into college and higher institutions thereon. Yet, there is a strong play of "informal education" in a person's life. (Byram, 1994; Pp 15 - 31) Informal education begins in a person's life from the time he or she takes birth. Many studies and scientists believe that informal education or orientation towards one's basic belief and value system begins once a child is conceived in a mother's womb. According to numerous studies, a foetus responds to every little sound while in the mother's womb. This is but a small example of informal training. Informal education by no means stops once a child enters an educational institution. Formal education through an educational institution simply sharpens the brains and prepares it to recognise those symbols that will bring a person towards actual worthwhile learning through external experiences. No theory is complete without practice. In fact, any theory that has been propounded without practice is a failure towards imbibing competency of any kind within any individual. According to Lea, "In efforts to help inform educational theory they (philosophers) have dealt extensively with concepts like knowledge, teaching, learning, thinking, understanding, belief, justification, theory, the discipline, rationality and the likes." (Lea, 2001; Pp 16 - 37) The power of language and being able to communicate with someone plays a large role in the cognitive development. This helps the person develop in terms of trusting the teacher and sharing with the family. The ways and means of defining and altering a language can be formal or informal depending on the person's stage in life. (Crystal, 2005) This is the context within which we have measured the outcomes of the centripetal forces in society. The influence of centripetal forces of society on language can be defined through the following elements as follows: Experience Identity Exposure Aptitude Knowledge and Skills Communication Patterns Cultural Affiliation (Crystal, 2005) The Social Sphere: Centrifugal Force The social sphere is one of the many levels at which learning takes place. Defining a language is an on going process that is garnered through interactions between people, cultures and regions at various levels. The social sphere is one where there is an exchange of ideas and recognition of personal values as well as flaws and plus points. This is where the centrifugal forces operate. (Byram, 1994; Pp 15 - 31) In this regard, it is necessary to shift focus to the process of defining and altering languages in the social sphere and garnering communicative competency. In the social sphere, this process is important in every individual's life as the knowledge comes only after learning. The very process of creating a language is a journey throughout which an individual is brought face to face with experiences. These experiences form his or her general perspective on things. In this way, there is a certain level of competency which in turn, springs from the areas and experiences that a person finds comfortable to deal with. Defining and altering a language within the social sphere is a crucial part of describing how theory shapes a person's experiences. (Illich, 1973; Pp 29 - 38) These theories come to the fore in the course of a person's competence to communicate ideas, notions and influencing factors regarding his or her culture. Here, it is imperative to point out that creating a language in the social sphere is a matter of putting across and exchanging worthwhile ideas, and notions so as to contribute to and enrich an individual's basic sense of identity and personality. Interactions within the centrifugal forces in the social sphere lead to the following factors that shape a language: Exchange of thoughts, facts and ideas regarding cultures Learning more about one's own culture Creating impressions that enrich a person's value and belief system. (Illich, 1973; Pp 29 - 38) Through these three basic functions, an individual creates communicative competency which furthers the cause of defining the language to fit the current generation and ideas. Experiences in the social sphere teach a person how to exchange ideas more than anything else. This leads to a powerful knowledge base that can be built up only outside the educational system. It is that sphere where a person learns how to communicate and influence people. This is an important part of learning as it imbibes a person with the attitude to take on challenges head on. Communicative competency becomes the very fabric of a person's life when it comes to understanding circumstances, people and cultures. This fact has special importance in the area of cognitive development. The cognitive development is the most basic and important sensor that differentiates between kinds of experiences. This sensor has to be honed right from the beginning of an individual's life so that there is an affiliation in the child's mind towards a language, a culture and a place. In honing this part of one's cognitive development, there is scope to increase his or her competency. This is the level at which centrifugal forces of society move towards the creation of languages. (Crystal, 2005) The creation and affiliation of a language depends on the following centrifugal forces that operate within the formal and informal structures learning within the society: Gender Class Socio Economic Standing Culture (Crystal, 2005) Conclusion It may be seen that the centripetal and centrifugal forces operate on various levels within the social sphere through the various elements discussed in this paper. These elements create a relationship between the two forces and help in the definition and alteration of language. (Crystal, 2005) References 1. Crystal, David. (2005) The Stories of English. Overlook TP. 2. Mercer, N; Swann, J (December, 1996). Learning English: Development and Diversity. London: Routledge. 3. Girvin, A. (2000) The Routledge Language Cultural Reader. London, Routledge. 4. Byram, M; Morgan, C (1994). Teaching and Learning Language and Culture. Multilingual Matters. 5. Lea, Mary R (2001). Distributed Learning. Routledge Falmer. 6. Illich, I. (1973) Deschooling Society, Harmondsworth: Penguin. Read More