PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

August 14, 2019

Donnel Angel P. Añasco

BS Criminology 1st – A

Submitted to: Prof. Bernadette Fernan

1. What is the nature of language and give specific examples that shows its
characteristics (1 example for each characteristics)?

The language, on its definition; (Colton, 2018) is the system of

communicating. Written languages use symbols (characters) to build
words. She stated that the entire set of words was the language’s
vocabulary. The ways in which words can be meaningfully combined is
defined by the language’s syntax and grammar. The actual meaning of
words and combinations of words was defined by the language’s
semantics.

Characteristics:

 Language is Arbitrary – there is no inherent relation between the words of

a language and their meanings or ideas conveyed by them.
E.g.: Woman in English, Aurat in Urdu, Zen in Persian and Femine in
French. According to NeoEnglish, the choice of a word selected to
mean a particular thing or idea is purely arbitrary but once a word
is selected for a particular referent, it comes to stay as such.
 Language is Social – set of conventional communicative signals used by
humans for communication in a community – nourishing and developing
culture and establishing human relations.
E.g.: Local Dialects in the different part of the country and different
Languages all over the world.
 Language is Symbolic – it consists of various sound symbols and their
graphological counterparts that are employed to denote some objects,
occurrences and meaning.
E.g.: The word “Love” represents the idea of romance and
affection between two person or in ‘everything’.
 Language is Systematic – Although language is symbolic, yet its symbols
are arranged in a particular system. All languages have their system of
arrangements. Every language is a system of systems. All languages have
phonological and grammatical systems, and within a system there are
several sub-systems.
E.g.: In Grammatical system, we have the “Parts of Speech”.
  Language is Vocal – (NEOEnglish, 2010) Language is primarily made up of
vocal sounds only produced by a physiological articulatory mechanism in
the human body.
E.g.: Early Theories about the origin of languages; the bow-wow,
pooh-pooh, ding-dong, etc.
 Language is Non-instinctive, Conventional – NEOEnglish, 2010, stated that
no language was created in a day out of a mutually agreed upon
formula by a group of humans. It is the outcome of evolution and
convention. Each generation transmits this convention on to the next. Like
all human institutions languages also change and die, grow and expand.
E.g.: Language was taught and passed from generations to
generations; it is not instinctive nor inherited, however it is evolving.
 Language is Productive and Creative – The structural elements of human
language can be combined to produce new utterances, which neither
the speaker nor his hearers may ever have made or heard before any,
listener, yet which both sides understand without difficulty. Language
changes according to the needs of society.
E.g.: Evolution of the Filipino language; from its classy and
conservative form back then, it evolves into wide language with
different forms and variants because of mainstream media –
Jejemon, Bekimon, etc.

2. What is mother tongue?

Nordquist (2019) referred “mother tongue” to a person's native

language – a language learned from birth. Also called a first language,
dominant language, home language, and native tongue (although these
terms are not necessarily synonymous).

3. What is the first language?

In the context of Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching, the term first
language refers to the language in which learners are competent when
starting a new language; it can be express as “L1”.

4. What is the second language?

In the context of Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching, the term

second language refers to another language that is being learned or has
been learned to an adequate level; it can be express as “L2”.
5. Identify the difference between language acquisition and language learning.

Haynes, J., stated that there is an important distinction made by linguists

between language acquisition and language learning. The author
explained that children acquire language through a subconscious
process during which they are unaware of grammatical rules. They
starting to understand what is and what isn’t correct. In order to acquire
language, the learner needs a source of natural communication. The
emphasis is on the text of the communication and not on the form.
On the other hand, the author describes language learning as ‘not
communicative’. This is the result of direct instruction in the rules of
language. In this context, students have conscious knowledge of the new
language and can talk about that knowledge.

References:

Colton, J. (n.d.). Introduction to Linguistics/ Nature of Language. Retrieve from

https://en.m.wikibooks.org/wiki/Introduction_to_Linguistics/Nature_of_Language

Naeem. (2010). Characteristics and Features of Language. Retrieve from

https://neoenglish.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/characteristics-and-features-of-
language/

Nordquist, R. (2019). Get the Definition of Mother Tongue Plus a Look at Top
Languages. Retrieve from https://www.thoughtco.com/mother-tongue-
language-1691408

"FIRST LANGUAGE." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. (n.d.).

Retrieved from https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-
almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/first-language

Haynes, J. (n.d.). Language Acquisition vs. Language Learning. Retrieve from

http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/language_acquisiti_vs_language_02033.
php