LESSON 5: UNDERSTANDING LANGUAGE

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND THOUGHT.

The relationship between language and thought is not very clear. It is sometimes argued that Language comes before thought and for some people thoughts come before language.

Language can be said to come before thought because thinking cannot occur without a language. On the other hand, thought can be said to come before language because if people don't think, they will never have a language to think about. All in all, it is generally believed that language facilitates thought. In other words, languages help people to think and without language people wouldn't think and so language and thought are interrelated.

MEANING OF LANGUAGE
Language is very important in human communication. According to Longman dictionary of contemporary English, language is " the system of human expression by means of words".

Gimson ( 1980) defines language as a system of conventional signals used for communication by a whole community.

Language can simply be defined as the human use of spoken or written words as a communication system.


USE OF LANGUAGE
1. language is used by human beings to communicate ideas, facts, feelings, beliefs and predisposition among themselves
2. Language helps people to understand each other.
3. Language is used to transfer knowledge

LANGUAGE SKILLS
There are four language skills needed in communication.
a. Speaking
b. Writing
These two skills are referred to as Expressive or productive language skills

c. Listening
d. Reading
These two skills are referred to as receptive language skills

It is important to note that in the process of communication, the expressive skills takes precedence over the receptive skills. This is because, the speaker or writer starts the communication. The listener or reader will definitely have nothing to listen or read if the speaker or writer has not transmitted any message.

CHARACTERISTICS OF LANGUAGE
1. It employs the vocal-auditory channel for which the human anatomy and physiology seem most specialized
2. It is passed from one person to another by learning and its stability is ensured through correction from parents, teachers, peers etc.
3. It is not limited to mere self expression; rather its regular use tends to produce effects on behaviour.
4. It consists of rules of reference which speakers agree upon.
5. There is relationship between content and means of expression
6. Language is organized hierarchically by combining words into syntactic structures or sentences, paragraphs, longer passages, etc.
7. It is creative


FUNCTIONS OF LANGUAGE
1. Language is a means of understanding reality and passing understanding others
2. Language is used for commerce
3. Language is a tool for governance and administration
4. Language is used for cultural promotion and social control
5. Language is used for religious purposes
6. Language is used to promote International cooperation and friendship

LESSON 4: NATURE OF COMMUNICATION

NATURE OF COMMUNICATION

Communication by its nature implies connection with other human beings. Through communication, we are taught the nature of the world and through communication we, in turn, give shape to our worlds. To understand how we go about creating the process of communication, several important aspects need to be understood.

1. CULTURE:

Culture is important in communication. Culture refers to the way people do things, the value people hold and the norms they follow. As we live and grow, we pick up culture from our environment. The learning process is both conscious and subconscious which much of it not obvious thus we absorb our cultural norms rather than learn them.

We function within local, regional and national culture. We also participate in local cultures and subcultures. Even in a small town, one can find a mixture of cultures as people divide along social lines, religious lines, professional lines and economic lines.

The same way we grow accustomed to ways of living we grow accustomed to ways of communicating. We learn the norms of the societies. We learn how to function within the framework of complicated rules by being part of a culture. We learn how we are to address our parents, siblings, our elders, coworkers, superiors and so on. We learn how to behave in a variety of situations such as games, meetings, religious services, funeral, weddings, classes, dates and family gatherings.

The main point about our culture is that our lives and our communication grow out of an entire set of values, beliefs and behaviour we have learned. To communicate clearly about those beliefs, or any other topic, we must be aware as possible of our own culture and how it has shaped us, and we must be aware of the culture and assumptions of the people with whom we communicate.

2. LANGUAGE: OUR LINGUISTIC HERITAGE

Language is the basic way we communicate. We grow into our culture by observing and imitating those around us. We grow into language in much the same process, acquiring language skills by imitation, trial and error. For us to learn how to speak, we need contact with other language users. Human beings are born with the ability to make sounds and make them in reaction to their circumstances. For example, cries indicate discomfort, coos indicate comfort and then we move beyond sounds as a reaction to the present situation.

3. LANGUAGE IS A SYMBOL SYSTEM

Human beings according to the great philosopher, Kenneth Burke are the “symbol using animals”

A symbol is something that stands for something else by association or connotation. for example, the cross is a religions symbol, schools have mascots, jewelry serves symbolic purposes when people wear wedding rings, or class rings

In language, symbols take other forms. For example, sounds constitute the primary form of the symbols. Language begins with the association of sounds with object or concepts. Combinations of sounds come to stand for the object or idea to be discussed. Instead of referring to a flower we can say rose, or we can say Ocean to refer to a body of water.

From the association of sounds with objects and ideas, the next step if to link the object to a marking system, the alphabet.

Writing emerges and changes the shape of communication. The invention of the alphabets makes possible the creation of messages that can exist outside the direct presence of their creators. Messages are no longer passed orally from one person to the nest, they message can be set down and left for others to discover.

Lesson 3: Areas of Communication Study

Areas of Communication Study:
The following are some of the areas of communication study.

1. Public Communication:
This is also known as Public Speaking which refers to a situation where an individual addresses an audience.
Examples of public speaking are political speakers, speakers at service organizations,
convocations, lectures, religious services and dedication ceremonies.

Public speaking requires the use of rhetoric (persuasive speech or writing skills)
Public speaking is an integral part of human lives which involves most profession, technical or artistic, demand making presentations to audiences.

2. Interpersonal Communication: This is the type of communication people make individually or in small groups.

Examples of Interpersonal communication are, talking with a friend, attending a job interview, arguing with a roommate, negotiating with sales personnel.

Interpersonal communication study helps us to understand how to respond in different settings such as between friends, married couples, superiors and subordinates as well as between parents and children. Interpersonal communication also helps us to know patterns of communication and how to deal within groups such as business or organizations.

3. Organizational communication:

This centers on the process of sending, receiving and interpreting messages within and between organizations.

To achieve the goals of organizations, members perform different tasks which are linked to the activities other members of the organization. Organizations are formed and maintained through communication.

the activities of organization continues even when particular individuals leave or retire from a company.

Studies in Organizational communication focuses on the modes and channels of communication, interaction between and superior and subordinates, and formal and informal relationships among organizational members.

Organization require constant adjustments of people, resources and goals. Thus mediation and conflict management are a large part of the study of organizational communication.

4. Mass Communication:

For a communication to be considered mass communication, it must involve a large number of people and also it is a mediated communication. A large audience or small group with which are dispersed and it is mediated because something comes between the sender and the final receiver. That something can be both mechanical or human. Mass communication distances the senders and receivers.

5. Public Affairs and Issue Management.

This field of study is related to public relation. however while public relations is concerned mainly with running campaigns and writing press release, Public affairs and issue management is is an out grown of the study of rhetoric.

Public affairs and issue Management investigates how organizations are affected by the communicative environment.

Most public affairs and issue management are in connection with crises of various kinds. One aspect of issue management involves planning ahead to help shape public opinions in the direction desired by the organization.

Assignment 2

Assignment 2

Read pages 20-21 and answer the following questions.

1. Why is communication a process?
2. Describe Briefly how messages can be passed between the parties involved in a
communication process.
3. Why is interpretation Necessary in the communication process?

Submit by email to interculture304@yahoo.com

Make sure you write your name and class for easy identification

Thanks
Dr. KEN