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Standardization of English language
Language learning and language acquisition essay
Language learning and language acquisition essay
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In recent years, the topic of language along with its importance and influence on society has gained prominence as a separate area of study. Many have joined the ongoing debate whether English should be properly taught and used, or perhaps there is no such a thing as Standard English in today’s day and age. Since language is an extremely efficient medium of interaction and expression, it is enormously important that educators invest ample amount in Linguistic research and study so they can properly educate their students and grant them the tools that can help them achieve their potential. Freeman (2004) explains that teachers study linguistics so when they understand how language works, they can effectively use language to help their students learn. One of the most important areas of Linguistic research done by a teacher in a classroom, would presumable be the discussion of whether one demand a standard of English be used in his/her classroom and how is Standard English defined. Such deliberations would inevitably lead us into the debate of Descriptivism vs. Prescriptivism.
A Prescriptivist, as the term suggests, is one who believes there is a prescribed list of rules that writers and speakers of the language must adhere. The prescriptive approach is “Norm-enforcing” (Camron, D., 2003). A descriptivist, on the other hand, is a linguist who, rather than impose grammar usage rules, observes how patterns of the language naturally emerge.
It is simpler to take a neutral stance and agree that both a Prescriptive and a Descriptive point of view are needed to keep the language moving in the right direction and in the right speed. However, when one takes the time to sincerely gather information it is quite difficult not to lean tow...
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...ers of different dialects (Hazen, Kirk, & Fluharty, Elaine, 2001).
References:
Cameron, D. (1995). On verbal hygiene in Verbal Hygiene. New York: Routledge,
Freeman, D.E. & Freeman, Y.S. (2004). Essential linguistics: What you need to know to teach. -Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann
Hazen, Kirk, & Fluharty, Elaine (2001). Defining Appalachian English: West Virginia
and beyond. Unpublished manuscript.
Nunberg, (1983).The Atlantic Monthly; December 1983; The Decline of Grammar; Volume 252
Trudgill, P. and Cheshire, J. (1989) Dialect and education in the United Kingdom. In J. Cheshire, V. Edwards, H. Münstermann & B. Weltens (eds.), Dialect and education: some European perspectives. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialect
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blues
Throughout the span of the past few weeks I have traversed the globe, visiting several countries and regions, only to realize that although new methods develop, language as a way of expressing ones self has remained the most effective. Despite this fact, language still has its pitfalls. Neil Postman, in his essay “Defending Against the Indefensible,'; outlines seven concepts that can be used to aid a student in better understanding the language as a means of communication. He describes how modern teaching methods leave a student vulnerable to the “prejudices of their elders';, further stating that a good teacher must always be skeptical. He urges teachers of all subjects to break free from traditional teachings as well as “linguistical tyranny';
8) McDavid, Raven I., Jr. “Dialectology: Where Linguistics Meets the People.” The Emory University Quarterly XXIII (Winter, 1967), 219.
These questions were the basic motivation for the research I conducted in order to find a better understanding to the issue pertaining to the environment in which I am trying to benefit from higher learning. On the 24th of April in 1998, at Bracken Library I issued a ‘Regional Standard Dialect Questionnaire’. The outcome of the survey was quite interesting and insightful when considering the issue at hand.
Fromkin, Victoria & Rodman, Robert. An Introduction to Language, 6th edition. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt Brace, 1998
O’Neill,S., Gish, A. (2008). Teaching English as a second language. South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.
Swarbrick, A. (2013) Aspects of Teaching Secondary Modern Foreign Languages: Perspectives on Practice. London: Routledge Falmer.
"Linguistics 201: First Language Acquisition." Linguistics 201: First Language Acquisition. Western Washington University, n.d. Web. 8 Sep. 2013. .
Bilingual education have been a serious issue for immigrant student. Beginners in education who move to the United States, have an issue with communication, in how to understand English, and losing their identity. For immigrants students, not knowing a second language affect seriously their life in the United States. In his article “An Education in Language,” Richard Rodriguez presents how the English language became a barrier that changed him and his family. Rodriguez explains how hard the challenge of understanding English was for him during his early years of school. Besides, Rodriguez illustrates that his parents’ lives were affected by lacking education and their opinion about it. In addition, he moved over to pursue higher education.
Finegan, Edward,."Language :its structure and use" Edward Finegan, David Blair and Peter Collins. 2nd ed. N.S.W : Harcourt, Brace & Co., c1997
Lynne Flowerdew (2009) “Applying corpus linguistics to pedagogy” International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 14:3, 393–417
Clark, Virginia P., Paul A. Eschholz, and Alfred F. Rosa. Language: Introductory Readings. 7th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2008. Print.
Ypsilandis, G.S. & Kantaridou, Z., (2007). English for Academic Purposes: Case Studies in Europe, Revista de Linguistica y Lenguas Aplicadas (2): 69-83.
Therefore, we should start considering the statement according to which ‘A speaker of English is necessarily a speaker of some dialect of English’ . As far as the dialect is concerned, this term refers to ‘varieties distinguished from each other by differences of grammar and vocabulary’ . Despite the fact that the previous explanation can sound complete to the majority, the word dialect has had several definitions throughout the years. For example, in the Anglo-Saxon world, it is used for referring to ‘any variety of language that can be delimited linguistically or socially’ . According to another point of view, ‘a dialect is a subset of a language, usually with a geographical restriction on its distribution’ . In Trudgill’s view, as far as the dialect is concerned, another distinction between traditional dialects and mainstream dialects needs to be made. On one hand, the first ones are spoken by the minority of English language speakers and they are located in the most peripheral and rural areas. On the other hand, mainstream dialects include both Standard English dialect and Modern non–standard dialects and they are associated with the urban areas, the youth culture and the so-called middle and upper–class. Wells uses different terms in order to refer to the two dialect categories previously mentioned. Actually, the term Traditional Dialect holds steady, whereas Mainstream Dialect, in Wells’ meaning, becomes General English. Furthermore, Wells notices that the di...
113-117. 151-195. The. English: A Linguistic Tool Kit, (2012), (U214, Worlds of English, DVD ROM), Milton Keynes, The Open University. English in the World, (2012), (U214, Worlds of English, DVD ROM), Milton Keynes, The Open University.
Center for Applied Linguistics. Why, How, When? N.p.: Center for Applied Linguistics, n.d. www.cal.org. US Department of Education. Web. 3 Mar. 2014.