Language and Language Acquisition

Directions: Navigate through the presentation. Answer embedded questions and tasks in your notebook. Respond to final questions in Blackboard forum.

Language is…

An arbitrary set of sounds and signs that have meaning in social settings

Define each of the highlighted words. What is the significance of each to the definition of language?

Characteristics of Language

Languages are… Systematic Complex & Social Equal Evolutionary Creative Human Means of Communication

See module readings for deeper explanations. Click on links for more info.

Languages are systematic. Rule governed structure Sounds form words; words together make

meaning Grammatical structure

– Learned through immersion– Tacit knowledge– Descriptive (describing) vs. prescriptive (right and

wrong)– Context meaning supersedes grammatical structure

Try a Mad Lib here: http://www.madglibs.com/

How do Mad Libs demonstrate that languages are systematic?

Back to Characteristics

Languages are social.

Changes depending on situation Dialect (marks who we are) Register (marks where and when we are) Convergence (attempting to speak like

others) Divergence (attempting to show difference

in speech from others) Inadequacy felt when exposure to an

environment is limited

Back to Characteristics

List some of your different languages. When have you tried to converge? Diverge?

Additional Reading 1

Language is a means of communication.

Speech (oral and aural) Writing

The Great Divide Theory (orality vs. literacy)– Continuum– Additional Reading 2

How does the Great Divide Theory play out in school? What implicit beliefs must teachers realize in order to value the literacy that all students bring to the classroom?

Continue

Orality to Literacy

Fleeting Illogical Narrative, myth, poetry Situated in social settings

Lasting Logical Analytic Skill stratification Writing as a tool for advancement

Orality Literacy

Back to the Great Divide Theory

What do you think?

“Spoken language is the real language, and writing is merely a representation of it” (Thomas & Tchudi, 1999, p. 45).

“If speaking makes us human, writing makes us civilized” (Pyles & Alger, 1994, p. 9).

Select one quotation and respond to it.

Linguistics: The structure of language

Phonetics Phonology Semantics Syntax Morphology Pragmatics

See module readings for deeper explanations. Click on links for more info.

Phonetics

The study of speech sounds– Considers where sounds are produced in

the body– Considers the property of sounds

(intensity, frequency, duration)– Uses phonetic symbols

Back to Linguistics

Make the “s” sound. Now make the “z” sound. What is different in your body? Your mouth stays the same; the “z” requires you to activate your vocal chords.

Phonology

The study of use of sounds in a language– Phoneme: basic unit of sound in a language– How and where sounds occur– Looks at patterns– Phonemic awareness – ability to distinguish

and produce sounds and to combine them to form words

Back to Linguistics

Put your hand in front of your mouth. Say the word “spin.” Now say the word “pop.” What do you notice about the pronunciation of “p?” In English the aspirated and non-aspirated “p” does not differ in meaning. In some languages aspiration changes the meaning.

Semantics

The study of meaning in language Relationships and schema important

Back to Linguistics

Have you ever said, “It’s just semantics.” Semantics might be more important than we make it out to be!

Syntax (Grammar)

The study of how words are arranged to form meaningful utterances (word order)

S --- V --- O

Back to Linguistics

In English sentence order follows subject-verb-object patterns. Do you speak another language? What is the sentence pattern for that language?

Morphology

The study of how words are structured– Focus is on meaning– Smallest unit is morpheme

Free morpheme - can stand on its own Bound morpheme – must be attached to a

free morpheme

CAT

S = plural

Test Yourself

NOUNS

Morphology– Add “s” to make plural

Syntax– Modified by adjectives

Semantics– Person, place, thing, or idea

VERBS

Learning Language

Emergent Literacy

Early Literacy

Primary and Secondary Discourses

Emergent Literacy

Acquisition of language is oral, transactional, and cultural.

Print is situated in contexts of meaning – homes and communities.

Understandings about print are developed at a young age.

Features of Emergent Literacy

Features of Emergent LiteracyYou are developing it if you have…

Awareness that print symbolizes objects and represents speech

Appreciation for functional uses of print

Recognition of word boundaries

Letter recognition that comes with understanding the alphabet

Emerging phonemic awareness, or how words “sound”

Facilitated by a rich print culture

Understanding of who gets to participate and how

Back to Language Learning

Early Literacy Presumes emergent literacy has developed prior

to formal schooling

Move to formal instruction

Focuses on decoding of more complicated sounds, combinations, and structures

Fundamental disagreements on the nature of instruction (phonics vs. whole language)

What was your formal literacy instruction like?

Back to Language Learning

Features of Early Literacy

PHONICS– Direct instruction– Reading begins with mastery of

component skills (sounds, syntax, semantics)

– Emphasis on phonemic awareness and sound-letter correspondence

– Learning to read precedes reading to learn

– Reading precedes writingBack to Early Literacy

Features of Early Literacy

WHOLE LANGUAGE– Reading situated in functional literacy

events– Emphasis on engagement with whole

texts and plot prediction– Learning to read and reading to learn

occur simultaneously– Reading and writing are integrated

strategiesBack to Early Literacy

What is Discourse?

Additional Reading 3 and 4– “Big D” discourse– Primary and Secondary Discourse

How do we help students acquire an academic Discourse?

Questions to ponder:Post responses to Blackboard

What consequences exist in severing literacy from orality in the classroom?

How does a student’s primary Discourse/discourse affect his/her classroom experience? Consider the various aspects of linguistics as you respond.