• THE NATURE OF LANGUAGE

Learning Outcomes:
• Demonstrate an understanding of the key ideas in language and communication; and
• Relate your personal experience with the input presented.

• What is language?
(accounting to Anthropological point of view)
• Language pertains to spoken and written--primary means of communication.
• Language is transmitted through learning.
• Language is based on arbitrary, learned associations between words and the things they stand for (Kottak, 2018).

• What is language?
(accounting to Linguistic point of view)
• Linguists agree that a language can only be called a language if it has a system of rules (also known as grammar), a sound
system (phonology), and a vocabulary (lexicon).
• When people use language, they can understand each other because they belong to the same speech community (people
share the same set of rules in the language system).
• Language change is the result of Language contact which defines as learning other languages.

• Language Acquisition
(accounting to Linguistic point of view)
• Language Acquisition is the process of acquiring the language used in the community in a very spontaneous way.

How do children acquire the Language?

• Nativism/Innateness (UG-based approach) and behaviorism are theories that discuss language acquisition.
• Nativism/Innateness believes that children have Language Acquisition Device (LAD) that is responsible for acquiring the
language through linguistic inputs. Noam Chomsky (1960) also claimed that a child has an abstract system and language bias.

• Language Acquisition
(accounting to Linguistic point of view)
More specifically, the primary observation that drives UG approaches to language acquisition is that there are certain aspects of
language that simply cannot be learned from the input.
Children acquire language
with No Correction
Although input is impoverished
Through biases
Uniformly
Rapidly
Easily

• Language Acquisition
(accounting to Linguistic point of view)
Important concepts that form the basis for all generativist thinking:
(i) The Problem of Induction – “key” is the language input; “engine” is knowledge of language (Piatelli-Palmarini, 1980, p.
172). One of the child’s jobs is to pick up on that language and figure out what it means—simply figuring out the meaning/intention
of the adult’s individual utterances (e.g. the system of language). This means that language does not consist of a really long list of
sentences that we all know. Rather, language consists of an abstract system that allows us to generate all possible grammatical
sentences.
Therefore, if we assume the child has none of the generative system in place to begin with, TPI becomes now a problem.

• Language Acquisition
(accounting to Linguistic point of view)
Important concepts that form the basis for all generativist thinking:
(ii) The Poverty of Stimulus – input to children is missing certain important information. Poverty means poor, while
stimulus refers to what children hear. In other words, this concept means that the input is poor or insufficient.

What could be the opponents’ argument against this concept?

• Language Acquisition
(accounting to Linguistic point of view)
• Meanwhile, behaviorism claims that all learning was based on the input. On this view, the learner was simply an empty vessel
to be filled with the experience of hearing language in the input. It also talks about forming a stock of habits and drawing
associations between a stimulus and a response.
• B.F Skinner – learning happens through interaction with the environment. He also proposed the concept of “operant
conditioning”.
• Ivan Pavlov’s theory on “classical conditioning”.

• Language Learning
(accounting to Linguistic point of view)
• Learning the language happens through a formal education or in a conscious way.

Clearly, Krashen (1989) made a clear distinction between language acquisition and language learning.
• On Language

In summary, language is indeed a complex human capacity. It is important to be aware of its features and behavior to be able to use
language more effectively and productively in communicating with others.
• On Language Death
• Language death means where simply they have no more native speakers even though they may still be used in some way.
Example: Latin is dead, but it continues to be used for religious and administrative in Vatican.
• In contrast, languages are considered extinct when no living persons can speak them. For example, if the last person of a
native speaker language dies, and nobody has learned it as a second language, it has become extinct.

• Types of Language Death

• Gradual Language Death - this normally happens when speakers of one language come into contact with a language of higher
prestige.
• Bottom-to-top language death - a language ceases to be used as a native spoken language, but continues to be used in
certain contexts: normally in a formal religious context, or ceremonial context, or perhaps for literary purposes.
• Sudden Language Death - when all or almost all speakers of a language suddenly die out as a result of disaster or violence.
• Radical Language Death - happens very rapidly and normally as a result of political repression or the threat of violence.

• Questions to ponder!
• Can animals communicate?
• Can monkeys produce language?
• What is the difference between language acquisition and language learning?
• What happens after a language comes into contact with another?

• Lesson 2: Communication
Learning Outcomes
• Demonstrate knowledge about the role of language in human communication;
• Identify the types of communication in relation to communication mode, context, and purpose and style;
• Differentiate verbal, non-verbal, and visual communication and their sub-forms in relation to communication modes;
• Evaluate the differences among intrapersonal, interpersonal, and extended, organizational, and intercultural communication in
relation to communication context;
• Explain the differences between formal and informal communication in relation to purpose and style; and
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the different communication types in various communication settings.
• Lesson 2: Communication
- defines as the exchange of thoughts, ideas, concepts, and views between or among two or more people, various contexts
come into play.
- Context is the circumstance or environment in which communication takes place.
- Interplaying factors that affect communication: physical, cultural, social, and psychological in nature.

According to Ohlagaray (2020), communication is a process of thoughts, feelings, and emotions exchange.

Some of the few significant points why we need to study Communication:

1. Vital for nearly any workplace
2. Applicable to any field of study
3. Can resolve conflicts

• Lesson 2: Communication
According to Mode
1. Verbal – Non-Verbal Communication – effective communication calls for the blending of these types. One cannot be separated
from the other.

• Lesson 2: Communication
According to Mode
2. Visual Communication – uses visuals to convey information and/or messages. E.g. signs, symbols, imagery, maps, graphs,
charts, diagrams, etc.

Question: What makes visual communication even more advantageous?

• Lesson 2: Communication
According to Context
A. Intrapersonal Communication – The Latin prefix intra- means within or inside. It means talking to oneself (inner talk, inner
monologue, inner dialogue). Psychologists call this context as self-verbalization or self-statement.
B. Interpersonal Communication – The Latin prefix inter- means between, among, and together. If it is meant to deepen one’s
relationship with other, it’s interpersonal. However, if the objective is to achieve something at the end of the conversation, it becomes
transactional. The former is characterized by less seriousness and formality, while the latter is more formal and profound.
• Lesson 2: Communication
According to Context
C. Extended Communication – this involves the use of electronic media. This includes the ff: tele, audio, or phone conferencing;
video-conferencing; Skype calls; and other technological means.
D. Organizational Communication – the focus is on the role that communication plays.
Two types of Organizational Structures:
1. formal – this structure allows communication to take place via designated channels of message flow between positions
in the organization.
1.1 downward communication (top-down or superior to subordinate)
1.2 upward communication (bottom-up)
1.3 horizontal communication (lateral in approach)
1.4 crosswise communication (diagonal in nature)
• Lesson 2: Communication
According to Context
2. Informal communication – this comes from unofficial channels of message flow. Also known as ‘grapevine,’ messages
coming from the different levels of the organization are transmitted.

E. Intercultural Communication – It refers to communication between or among people having different linguistic, religious, ethnic,
social, and professional backgrounds. Even gender is included.
• Lesson 2: Communication
According to Purpose and Style

• Formal – this employs formal language in oral and written form. Lectures, public talks, proposals, and among others are
all considered formal situations.
• Informal – this does not employ formal language. This involves personal and ordinary conversations with friends, family
members, or acquaintances about anything under the sun.
• Analyze the following two situations:
• References
Becker, M. & Ud Deen, K. (2020). Language acquisition and development. London, England: The MIT-Press
Kottak. (2018). Mirror for humanity (6th Ed). Philippines: McGraw-Hill.