Any
language speaker knows something about his/her language, but it is difficult
for language speaker to tell us what language is. This is according to Harris
1980. This make it evidence that the access to the inner knowledge about the
language is not an easy task despite our competence in language(s) and its
importance for our mental and social life. Such a task requires following
certain systems in order to discover, describe and analyze the underlying rules
that control any language. This led to the emergence of language theory or
model which is sentence to test like any other theory.
What is
Language?
There are three different interesting
views on what
is language is? (SILL International, 1999)
1-
Communicative view of language: The communicative or functional view of
language is the view that language is a vehicle for the expression of
functional meaning. The semantic and communicative dimensions of language are
more emphasized than the grammatical characteristics, although these are also
included.
2- The structural view of
language: The structural view of language is that language is a system
of structurally related elements for the transmission of meaning. These
elements are usually described as,
·
phonological units (phonemes)
·
grammatical units (phrases, clauses,
sentences)
·
grammatical operations (adding, shifting,
joining or transforming elements)
·
lexical items (function words and structure
words)
3- The interactional view of
language: The interactional view of language sees
language primarily as the means for establishing and maintaining interpersonal
relationships and for performing social transactions between individuals.
Language is a means of communication which is carried out through speaking
and listening.
Speaking: putting ideas into words to talk about perception, feelings, and
intention.
Listening: turning words into ideas and reconstructing the perception,
feelings and intention of the speakers.
Some
characteristics of language
According to the experience, in order to arrive at an
accurate description of language there are several characteristics of language
are to be considered. These characteristics are as follows (Ibid, p. 6-10):
Language is sound
This statement point out the primacy of the languages
sounds over the other representations in writing which are regarded as
secondary phenomenon of speech. For instance, all traditional orthographies and
letters used in common alphabets, such as the familiar Roman alphabet, represents
different sounds in different languages.
Such a claim that language is sound, prove the fact that
all human beings produce speech sound with the same equipment (By the movement
of the speech organs).
Language is linear
This is a fundamental feature of spoken language. That we
can represent language by using symbols for each sound and arrange them in a
linear succession similar to the sounds production order. This ordering of
symbols could be left-to-right (e.g. English) or right-to-left (e.g. Arabic)
according to the language writing system.
Language is systematic
Although stating that language linear which permit a
combination of symbols together but not all the possible combinations of
symbols (sounds) is possible.
This is what makes language systematic, means it is describable in terms of
finite number of units that can combine only in a limited number of ways. Due
to that, terms such as sound system,
grammatical system etc. emerged as part those terms used in describing
and comparing languages.
Language is system of systems
Each language has phonological (or sound) system and a grammatical system.
Each one has its units and rules of possible combination and order. Language is
a system of systems; all of which operates simultaneously, but the distinctions
we make it for the sake of analysis, the units and combinatory rules prober to
each.
Language is meaningful
It is principally through the acquisition of language that the child
becomes an effective member of the community, and the leaders in a community
preserve and advance their leadership largely through their ability to
communicate with people through language.
Language is arbitrary
This refers to the idea that the conditions required for the existence of
more than one language: that there be no direct necessary connection between
the nature of things or ideas language deals with and the linguistic units and
combinations by which these things or ideas are expressed.
Language is conventional
The use and formation of linguistic units is so regular that these units
almost seem to be employed according to agreement among the speakers. So
language can be said to be conventional as a consequence of this apparent
agreement.
Language is a system of
contrasts
What makes single speaker’s habit valid for the speech of a community is
that language is a system of differences.
Language is creative
Language can be used to create a new world through the imaginative
manipulation of the standard interlocking of the phonological, grammatical and
lexical systems poets and creative writers or speakers which extend our
awareness of possible relations among things.
Language is unique
Since languages are arbitrary, systematic networks of contrasts, each
language can be said to be unique.
Languages are similar
All the languages have certain features in common. This characteristic
opens the possibility of language learning although some languages are very
different from each other the common features help in language learning
process.
Approaches
to language
The importance of the classification methods is vivid
because of the fact that there are so many language varieties. So there are two
approaches of classification.
1. Typological approach
This approach groups languages according to their
similarities and differences in linguistic structure. Here languages can be
classified in term of their characteristic patterns of word order.
2. Genealogical approach
A genealogical approach of classification tends to show
the historical relationships between languages. All languages which have emerged
from a single parent language are regarded as belonging to the same language
family.
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