Linguistics and their realationship to Teaching Essay Example for Free

Linguistics and their realationship to Teaching Essay Abstract This paper is an attempt to analyze the relationship between linguistics and language teaching. Linguistics is a science and teaching while technical is also an art yet they are closely related to each other in the case of language teaching. The foreign language teachers need to include selection, grading and presentation as their main steps. Linguistics plays an important role in the whole process of teaching by helping to facilitate a teachers understanding of the workings and systems of the language they teach. Applied Linguistics is really about the melding of these 2 actions. The Relationship between Linguistics and Language Teaching. Linguistics is defined as the scientific study of language. Linguistics is then divided into several branches which study different accepts of its use. Descriptive linguistics, historical and comparative linguistics, which it is based on methodology. Synchronic and Diachronic linguistics, which it is based on the aspect of changes over time. Phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics, which is based on a language as a system. Sociolinguistics this is related to or combined with the disciplines of linguistics and sociology. Its interest is in the relationship between language and society. It works to explains why people Use different speech in different social contexts. It’s area of study is the social functions of language to convey social meaning. The social relationships in a community, and the way people signal aspects of their social identity through their language (Jenet Holmes, 2001). Sociolinguistics also is concerned with the interaction of language and settings. (Carol M. Eastman, 1975; 113). The other expert defines it as the study that is concerned with investigating the relationship between language and society with the goal of a better  understanding of the structure of language and of how languages function in communication ( Ronald Wardhaugh, 1986 : 12) Psycholinguistics relates to the combined disciplines of psychology and linguistics. Psychology is defined as the systematic study of human experience and behavior or as the science that studies the behavior of men and other animals. Knight and Hilgert in Abu Ahmadi,(1992). It covers language development. (Lim Kiat Boey). The other definition of psycholinguistics is that it is the study of human language-to-language comprehension, language production, and language acquisition (E. M. Hatch). The research done on the relationship between linguistic theory and language teaching can be traced back to the late 19th century. Its relationship has been discussed and debated for many years and researched extensively. Since this time different research proposed by different scholars has been disputable and found to be largely inconclusive. In the 1960s it was decided that there needed to be a reassessment. The conclusion that was formed went in two two main directions of thought with differing points of view. One viewpoint was that linguistics is not as relevant as it was first thought to be, and its importance was overrated. Such linguists as Lamendella (1969) and Johnson (1967) expressed their disagreement to regard linguistics as the basis of a strategy of learning. Lamendella (1969) thought that it was a mistake to look to transformational grammar or any other theory of linguistic description to provide the theoretical basis for second language pedagogy. What is needed in the field of language teaching are not applied linguists but rather applied psychologists. The other point of view was to recognize that the general contribution of linguistics was important. This came though with a proviso that teaching language was not to be bound to only follow one theory alone. The idea being that different linguistic theories can offer different perspectives on language, and they can all be treated as equivalent resources useful for teaching. Levenson (1979 ) once said, ‘no one school of linguistic analysis has a monopoly of truth in the description of the phenomena of speech†¦traditional school grammar, TG grammar, †¦all these and more can be shown to have their own particular relevance to the language teaching situation. By1960 the United States, reached its peak of the influence of structural linguistics upon language Teaching. Structural linguistics stressed the importance of language as a system and investigates the place that linguistic units such as sounds, words and sentences have within this system. This then associated with behaviorism provided the principal theoretical basis of the audio lingual theory. This then influenced language teaching materials, techniques and the teachers educations. Behaviorism led to theories, which explained how an external event, causes a change in the behavior, without any kind of mental interaction. It also stressed the importance of repetition and practice in learning a second language, this I think is a vital factor in learning a foreign language. If we look at the audio-lingual method, it emphasizes: (1) The teaching of speaking and listening before reading and writing; (2) The use of dialogues and drills; (3) The avoidance of the use of the mother tongue in the classroom. Audio-lingual method regards speaking and listening as the basic skills, this is in line with today’s English teaching situation. The Mentalist Approach In the 1960s Chomsky formulated the mentalist approach. The hypothesis was considered that human behavior is much more complex than animal behavior. Chomsky, felt that we are born with a Language Acquisition Device (LAD), which enables a child to make a hypotheses about the structures of a language in general, and also the structure of the language being learned more importantly. By the end of the sixties’, there were new developments in teaching language starting to occur. The TG theory had a big impact resulting in a change in teaching methods. It was opposed to the empiricist theory, that is, teaching audio linguistics, linguistically structuralism and psychologically behaviorism. TG theory. 1 It stresses mental activity. 2 It postulates that all human beings have an innate ability to learn a language. 3 That it is an inborn instinctual ability and not practice that made human beings obtain the rules of a language and understand and can produce countless numbers of sentences. The Natural Method was successfully used in various language schools in the USA and Europe in the late 19th and the early 20th century. In the post-World War I decades, the direct method was adopted into English language teaching (ELT) this laid a solid intellectual and practical foundation for developing ELT as an autonomous profession. Some linguists, like Diller (1970), openly declared his preference for the cognitive position; while others, like Chastain (1976) and Rivers (1981:25-27) held that the two theories were complementary and served different types of learners or teachers or represented different phases of the language learning process. Applied Linguists brought about the situational approach and the notional/functional method. It is based on a broader framework for the description of language use called communicative competence proposed by Hymes, This brought about the communicative approach to language teaching came into being. In 1970s, a group of scholars including Oller (1970) and Widdowson (1978), were linguists but at also closely in touch with teaching practice. They gave language teaching and language pedagogy the linguistic direction they regarded as necessary. Since they were in touch with language teaching practice and linguistic so had a two-way view of the problem, they placed emphasis on real language and its communication and use. To take Oller’s interest in pragmatics as an example. Oller (1970:507) claimed that pragmatics has implications for language teaching; it defines the goal of teaching a language as prompting the students not merely to manipulate meaningless sound sequences, but to send and receive messages in the language. The students in China start English when they are in primary school. In the past, more attention was paid to the grammar, the result was very disappointing: Now the emphases is on speaking and listening. The audio-lingual method is now used in the classroom. In China, more people need to learn English in order to have the ability to communicate with foreigners. In this case, speaking and listening is much more important than being able to read and write. They are not expected to have a high level of English and their aim is simple, they need to communicate with a foreigner so they can understand their words and express themselves well. This is based on simple daily conversation. A market sale and business or being able to work in the tourism industries. Basic conversation and understanding can be very helpful in everyday conversation exchanges. The Audio-lingual method stressed the repetition and it theorizes that a language is learnt through the formation of habits. To speak English fluently, without constant practice, is impossible. So in our English teaching, we must help our students speak and listen well. Expressing ourselves properly is not always an easy thing, especially if it’s an emotionally charged topic. Even an English major may sometimes find it problematic to express exactly what they mean so it is understood by the other person in a way that is understood by all. When I go to Cambodia I find the generally that the population though not taught English in school has good English conversation capacity. They may not read or write but I feel if they had the opportunity to learn now they have grasped the basic language that they would with more ease. There is a need for them to talk and sell to foreigners so they have had a need and incentive to learn and the fact that their using it every day also helps. Though there are of course talented students I find in Thailand the communication level is not good as a lot of emphases is but on reading, writing and grammar, that many times, is not really understood or comprehended. Thai students learn form primary but they do not always have a reason to speak out of the classroom. One lesson a week in speaking and 3 of grammar I find makes the students scared to use the language. I teach with Thailand teachers and due to a some general pronunciation problems the students are confused about the sounds of the words and how to string them together. Confidence helps a lot just talking even if it is wrong. I always attempt to inspire confidence as I feel it is very important for speech. In my opinion, linguistics and language teaching relationship is a dual one. There are some theories of linguistics that can be applied to language teaching, i. e.  linguistics guides in development of language teaching theory. On the other hand, a language teaching theory expresses or implies answers to questions about the nature of language. It is necessary for a language teacher has some knowledge about, the systems of languages. A teacher should understand how the language works and expresses meaning and the structures that are used in the language being taught. A teacher needs to know how to make the phonic sounds and the mechanics to produce these sounds. This helps with pronunciation problems that students will encounter. By studying linguistics a teacher will have a deeper insight into the nature of language and the language the student speaks as theyre first language. If we agree that the use of a language is a matter of habits and practice, then a teacher needs to implant the habit of using it for communication until it becomes second nature. Conclusion Linguistic theory is continually developing and teaching theories are constantly changing as is the language itself. This alone demands a permanent study of languages and the relationships between linguistic theory and language teaching methods. There are many techniques and theories but no one concept or technique can take in the Different needs student may have and the differing ways people learn. This is a science in its self. There can be many differences in understanding between the L1 and L2 language from different cultural understandings and different sounds that may be new to the learner. There are many ways a culture will express its self along with idiosyncrasies and local knowledge of the everyday life in the culture. They say when you understand humor you start to know a language. If one could take every student as an individual and teach them the best way they learnt one would be assured of good results. Knowing the basic individual attributes the child had can enable to teacher to create classes designed for their individual needs. This is a luxury that tutors can give their students but in the classroom one dose not have so much control. A practical framework designed to suit the most students and the context that is the most appropriate. The Relationship of Linguistic Materials for the Second Language Teacher. Because of political, economic and also technical changes, English has become widely taught as an official business language worldwide, also as a second language to immigrants in English-speaking countries to gain entry and work, and as a foreign language in many non-English-speaking countries. This is also largely due to the computer so there is a universal language for coding and business. There are many theories on different ways to teach and different scholarly thoughts on the best process. I feel that this depends on the type of English you are teaching. Since there are many different needs a student may have. In China the emphases is on communication with foreigners on a daily basis like selling them something in a market or doing business. In other countries such as Thailand the emphases is put on Grammar and writing and reading and only a small part into communication. So while there are still many theories on the best way to teach I feel in my knowledge so far that it is best to learn as many ways as possible and how they work in the different environments. Applied Linguistics is really about the melding of these two actions but not the scope of this essay. One of the most fantastic Linguistic help I think the corpus is one of the best ways to get relevant vocabulary for your students. This is helpful for Syllabus and curriculum planning and for all areas of language teaching. References Chastain, K. (1976). Developing Second-Language Skills: Theory to Practice. Chicago: Rand McNally. Diller, K. C. (1970). ‘Linguistic theories of language acquisition’ in Hester 1970:1-32. Johnson, M. (1967). Definitions and models in curriculum theory. Educational Theory, 17:127-40. Lamendella, J. T. (1969). On the irrelevance of transformational grammar to second language pedagogy. Language Learning, 19:255-70. Levenson, E. A. (1979). Second language lexical acquisition: issues and problems. Interlanguage Studies Bulletin, 4:147-60. Oller, J. W. (1970). Transformational theory and pragmatics. Modern Language Journal, 54:504-507. Rivers, W. M. (1981). Teaching Foreign-Language Skills. Second edition. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press. Widdowson, H. G.. (1978). Teaching Language as Communication. Oxford: Oxford University Press. .? Zeki Hamawand, Z. Morphology in English: Word formation in cognitive grammar. continuum. Publishing. ( Zeki Hamawand, Z. (2011).

Greenspan - The Case For The Defence :: essays research papers

My fascination with the Judicial System Structure of today's society was furthered and strengthened after reading and analyzing the works of Edward Greenspan.This superbly written biography recollecting past cases and important events in Greenspan's life allowed myself, the reader, to learn more about Jurisprudence and the Criminal Code. The entire casebook revolves around several main themes including the balance of Positive & Natural influences in the courtroom, whether a lawyer's consience intervenes with his duty as a counsellor, and the alarming rate of perjury occuring in front of the juries. To be more concise and clear to the point, Greenspan's book is a diary of controversial and beneficial issues which have hovered around our criminal courts and will continue to plague and pester them for years to come. By observing and understanding certain issues presented in his book, I was able to comprehend what type of person Greenspan is, what he believes in, what he represents and what he would do for his profession.The wheels of Jurisprudence are always turning, and I came to realise how Greenspan worked and bargained for his status in the country to be solidified. This book also flourished with innovative situations pertaining to the most diversified of criminal charges, to the most uncanny regions of law ever dealt. It was this thorough look at Greenspan's life which impressed this reviewer the most.It was quite clear that after the fourth page, I came upon the conclusion that this casebook would create a most influential reaction to anyone who had displayed any interest towards our Law system in general. Part One of the novel, No Little Clients, presents the reader with the author's proposed thesis. His ambition is to defend innocent people accused of crimes. Whether they are innocent or guilty without being proven guilty is irrelevant to Mr. Greenspan. A lawyer's consience must not be his deciding factor when advising or counselling a client. This viewpoint is elaborated in Part Two (Not Above The Fray) and explained frivolously by Greenspan himself. Throughout the entire novel, the theme bends and curves itself around different and unavoidable situations, but retains its original meaning that no one is guilty until proven so. Greenspan refers to this phrase countless times and explains to the reader that he will not allow his moral beliefs to conlfict with the path of justice (delicately and persuasively explained by both Greenspand and the co-author, George Jonas in Parts Four, Five and Six of the novel). Greenspan - The Case For The Defence :: essays research papers My fascination with the Judicial System Structure of today's society was furthered and strengthened after reading and analyzing the works of Edward Greenspan.This superbly written biography recollecting past cases and important events in Greenspan's life allowed myself, the reader, to learn more about Jurisprudence and the Criminal Code. The entire casebook revolves around several main themes including the balance of Positive & Natural influences in the courtroom, whether a lawyer's consience intervenes with his duty as a counsellor, and the alarming rate of perjury occuring in front of the juries. To be more concise and clear to the point, Greenspan's book is a diary of controversial and beneficial issues which have hovered around our criminal courts and will continue to plague and pester them for years to come. By observing and understanding certain issues presented in his book, I was able to comprehend what type of person Greenspan is, what he believes in, what he represents and what he would do for his profession.The wheels of Jurisprudence are always turning, and I came to realise how Greenspan worked and bargained for his status in the country to be solidified. This book also flourished with innovative situations pertaining to the most diversified of criminal charges, to the most uncanny regions of law ever dealt. It was this thorough look at Greenspan's life which impressed this reviewer the most.It was quite clear that after the fourth page, I came upon the conclusion that this casebook would create a most influential reaction to anyone who had displayed any interest towards our Law system in general. Part One of the novel, No Little Clients, presents the reader with the author's proposed thesis. His ambition is to defend innocent people accused of crimes. Whether they are innocent or guilty without being proven guilty is irrelevant to Mr. Greenspan. A lawyer's consience must not be his deciding factor when advising or counselling a client. This viewpoint is elaborated in Part Two (Not Above The Fray) and explained frivolously by Greenspan himself. Throughout the entire novel, the theme bends and curves itself around different and unavoidable situations, but retains its original meaning that no one is guilty until proven so. Greenspan refers to this phrase countless times and explains to the reader that he will not allow his moral beliefs to conlfict with the path of justice (delicately and persuasively explained by both Greenspand and the co-author, George Jonas in Parts Four, Five and Six of the novel).

Child Development and Rights Essay

There is little evidence of what it was really like in the past so it is difficult for a lot of people to re-construct the life of a child, however from what I have researched, and in my own opinion I am going to summarise the historical changes in childhood experience and relate these changes to childhood development and rights. In the 19th century I think children missed out on most of their childhood as most of them took on jobs such as chimney sweepers, street sellers and farms for example. These were mainly children from poor families who were seen as extra farm hands and were exploited by receiving low pay for long hours and working in poor conditions. Families did not look at how the children were treated and the possible impact on parts of their development (such as their social skills, health and education). When the government promised all children the same rights in 1989 it helped out a lot of development and gave them a childhood to enjoy. For example; â€Å"The right to be protected from exploitation of labour, drug abuse, sexual exploitation, sale, trafficking and abduction† This meant children now didn’t have to work and had also been given; â€Å"The right to education, training and special needs support where necessary† This improved social skills and social relationships as they where able to mix with other children in school and out of school, instead of having to miss school often or not attend at all because of the long hours and also the parents could not afford to lose their financial contributions. Children’s health was not good and child mortality rate was high, mainly due to overcrowding, poor diet and the poor working conditions which so many workhouse children didn’t live to become adults. These are the children who never recovered from years of chronic malnutrition. â€Å"The right to health and medical services† This gave rights to free healthcare in Britain which originally came out in 1948 (NHS) and a decline in childhood illnesses as children were given vaccines plus child mortality improved. Other parts of the developmental framework such as identity, self-care skills, emotional and behavior is that they never developed them fully as they grew up too fast so they could go to work and look after other siblings. Also from what my grandad has told me, back then they weren’t allowed to express themselves as they would get emotional and physical abuse towards them, so they just carried on with everyday life. They was wealthy families and was a lot easier from them as they had the money to attend a private school or was home-schooled. They were also encouraged to donate money and goods to the poor. Kerry Woolford Even though a legislation was drawn up and improved childhood education, healthcare and welfare, children were and even now in modern society around the world are being taken advantage of for monetary gain. Modern society now especially since 1997 have tried putting children first such as committing to meeting children’s needs. There are still problems such as school truancy, adolescents not in education or training and also child protection as there have been tragic deaths including baby P and Victoria climbie, which her death was largely responsible for the formation of every child matters inactive plus a lot of other changes in different systems, 2. Discuss how family systems are influential in child development processes and include challenges to meeting a child’s needs, such as conflicts and poor parenting practices. Family systems can influence in a child’s development process as the family is on of the main tools for the structure of personality. Parents now days are so inundated with work and/or social relationships that they neglect to spend time with them and fail to communicate with the children and also large number of families consist of any mother and child(ren) because the fathers are absent so it could lead to poor parenting. I’m not saying all single mothers lead to this because I know this from my own experience but according to a study in America in 2006 a broken family structure leads to education difficulty for children, saying; â€Å"when it comes to education achievement, children living with their own married parents do significantly better than other children.† An example of one family that I looked at and found interesting was that both parents were excessive drinkers and argued a lot, the father was also physically abusive and their 2 children could be affected all they way in till they reach adulthood by being angry and never trusting male-female relationships as all they have seen in their parents relationship is a war zone. They have never seen problems resolved constructively, so maybe severely limited in their ability to deal with stressful situations involving the important person in their adult relationships. Challenges in family systems can be hard to meet a child’s needs especially during a divorce. It can be very emotional for children during this time as one parent leaves the house or the child is re-locating, leaving the family home that they have ever known. They can blame themselves, especially if they overhear an argument over something the child has done around the same time of the divorce. The child needs to feel more secure during these changes and it will help to assure them the divorce was by grown up issues, not by anything they have said or done, make sure the child access has to both parents when feeling lonely or need reassuring. Most important take the time to talk with your child, and to spend quality time with them regularly. Kerry Woolford Poor parents practices is the lack of support, monitoring and harsh punishments which are linked with children’s adjustment, development and well-being. When children misbehave some parents use coercive form of discipline (such as spanking) where other parents rely on non-coercive method (such as discussing the consequences of misbehavior). Abusive or neglectful behaviors could cause or have caused serious behavior, cognitive, emotional or mental problems which can lead to substance abuse and crime. Parents that have a great deal in their child’s lives, usually have higher grades, fewer behavior problems, less substance use, better mental health, greater social competence and more positive self-concepts. In conclusion even in the 19th century and in modern society is that children want need is the love from their parents, protection, help and be there for them when there’s a major problem occurs that could disturb the family system.

Essay Overpopulation’s Effect on Environment - 886 Words

The increasing world’s population is a global issue and becomes a source of anxiety for many scholars and decision makers around the globe. U.S. Census Bureau estimated that population growth will persist into the 21st century, growing from 6 billion in 1999 to 9 billion by 2044 (2010). In a longer term, it is also projected that human population may keep increasing up to 36.4 billion in 2300 (United Nations, 2003). Population upsurge is considered a centre piece for a range of problems world would encounter in the future. This essay will point out some of main problems generated by population increase and propose some solutions to cope with the issues. In particular, the focus will be on environmental, health, and social issues. Earth†¦show more content†¦Growing population also shows a strong link to health problems. Health challenges particularly emerge in places whose environment and people’s lifestyle have been affected by overpopulation consequences (Bull World Health Organ, 2010). It is obvious that risky conditions such as food and water shortages, polluted air and water, insufficient sanitation, slum areas, stressful routines and ease of disease spread are likely to take place in high density population regions rather than less crowded one. All of these situations directly affect people’s health and well-being. For instance, in 1999, it was estimated that around 700,000 Indians die each year from diarrhoea due to lack of adequate sanitation and safe water (DeNormandie and Sunita 2002). Another issue related to human population growth is social problems. The term can be defined as common conditions that spoil any part of the community such as ethnic frictions, industrial conflict, and so on. It is also related to behaviours and situations that break the rules, values and customs in society such as crime, prostitution, drug addiction, and suicide (Long, 2010). It is true that social problems are caused by many factors, range from economic hardship, to family problems. However, it is also reasonable to say that a higher population neighbourhood tends to have more social issues than a lowerShow MoreRelatedOverpopulation’s Effect on Environment Essay934 Words   |  4 Pagesand overpopulation. These problems have taken a toll on the environment, and its resources. Although all of these issues have an impact on our society, overpopulation stands to have the greatest impact on our environment, due to the large masses of people and the limited resources. There are many solutions to this problem but the common factor is the human race. The human race has to put controls in place and take care of the environment, so the required resources do not become extinct. What causesRead MoreThe Scientific Prediction Of Overpopulation1307 Words   |  6 PagesThe Scientific Prediction of Overpopulation in China In today’s society, there are many environmental issues , such as pollution, global warming, and overpopulation. These issues have taken a damage on our environment and its resources. Overpopulation is a serious issue that will eventually have a greater negative impact on many countries, and this must be identified, analyzed, and controlled immediately. This issue caused a large crowd of people and the limited resources around the world.Read MoreEssay on Botswana4082 Words   |  17 Pagesstruggle to produce what is healthiest for its country’s people and environment for the present time and for the infinite years to come. This study will explore several different hardships that Botswana is suffering and the peace that the people have maintained throughout the years. (2) Concerning Botswana’s condition, the national geography standards that this study mainly relates to focus upon places and regions and environment and society. The physical and human characteristics of Botswana will