The quote's definition is that language cannot be fully understood without looking at the social context in which it is used. The meaning of the words is dependent on the social environment. Crystal (2016) stated that when English is taken to a different country, in come the 'loan' words from other people in the country, and which makes English language hard to understand for native speak people. Choosing the right words, grammar and pronunciation all reveal what kind of people belong to which group in society. It also depends on what belief or background the person is from and what kind of home environment they live in. Geiger (2014) stated that "language means something slightly different to each person" (para. 2). Everyone has a different …show more content…
way of communicating which suits them and a certain way to use language to express their feelings. 136 Language can have different meanings, and it all depends on how society perceives it. According to Gee and Hayes (2011) language can be viewed as "physically present in the world", some example are verbal communication, audio recordings and writing (p. 6). On the other hand language can be all build in the head; for example, people have a set of rules in their mind that informs them of how to speak "grammatically" (Clark, as cited in Gee & Hayes, 2011, p. 6). Language does not have rules and there is no set way to follow, it all depends on the individual how they express it and use it. 93 Teachers are faced with different challenges in everyday classrooms, therefore they need to find out what the best way is to suit all the children. One of the challenges Eun and Lim (2009) mentioned is determining which students acquire English as a second language (ESL) (p. 14). Even though students who have ESL also receive different types of extra help with English language outside their classroom times, but the teacher that provides assistance might not be familiar with the student's culture, background or their home language (p. 14). Therefore Eun and Lim (2009) stated that teachers need to expand their knowledge to meet the requirements of the new challenges that occurs (p. 14), and to offer students equal environment by listening to their stories of their culture and their lifestyle. 115 People define language differently from each other. According to Gee and Hayes (2011) some people think that language is only about swapping information, but it is also about the way language is communicated and in what tone it has been delivered (p. 24). Gee and Hayes (2011) explained that it all depends on how educators convey their message and what relationship they have with their students (p. 24). Formal language is used in classroom lessons with good interaction skills, and some people think that content is more vital than social communication but they are both equally as important (Gee & Hayes, 2011, p. 24). Some example Gee and Hayes (2011) outlined of statements that convey the same message but shows different ways of communicating are "can’t wait till the party tonight" and "I guess I’ve got to go to your party tonight". This actually shows what kind of relationship is between the two people communicating and it sends a strong message to the person listening, either good or bad. It is important for teachers to have good communication skills and have a friendly attitude when teaching children because children are very sensitive and can sense quickly if there is a bad vibe in the educators tone and this can affect their learning. 192 Every educator thinks differently and communicates differently in classrooms. According to Green (as cited in Campbell & Green, 2006, p. 2) all verbal and visual languages occur from people's social and culture backgrounds. A group of people can think differently about a specific statement made because they all have different thoughts, beliefs, morals, knowledge and prior skills, but it does not mean one person is right and the other is wrong (Green, as cited in Campbell & Green, 2006, p. 2). This just means everyone has their own point of view and experience different emotions from a different perspective. Green (as cited in Campbell & Green, 2006, p. 5) explained that some children's home life affect how they accept language in classroom; for example, if children are taught by their parents how to respect when talking to their teacher or friends, and how to use polite manners then children will enact the same experience in school. This also means that the transition from home to school will be easier for children, parents and teachers. Teachers should also demonstrate to children how language should be used in classroom and outside, by simply setting out examples how one sentence for instance can be said in multiple ways, but at the same time express different relationship and emotions between the two people. 190 English language can have different word meaning in other countries that have English as their second language. According to Crystal (2013), South Africa has ten thousand English words that are only used in the country and the countries around; for example, Zimbabwe. The definition of the words would be unclear to the foreign person that is in South Africa because they are unaware of the cultural background of the people in the country (Crystal, 2013). Therefore it is essential for the teacher to be familiar with the cultural background of the children in the classroom to able to relate when they have difficulty understanding the English language or some particular words. Crystal (2013) gave an example and stated that one of the ten thousand words used in South Africa and which has a different meaning is robot, and it means traffic light whereas in British it is a machine that is programmed to accomplish task automatically. Every country will have variety of English growing which will be influenced by other cultures, and so even though English native speaking person will not be able to understand the language (Crystal, 2013). Teachers need to ask their students' questions, in order to have more knowledge of their background and their culture. 200 Reading strengthens a person's knowledge and language.
According to Loane and Muir (2017) teachers should choose what they desire to read; it can be a book, article, news paper and so on (p. 247). Loane and Muir (2017) suggested that teachers should be aware of the features in written texts that needs to be understood, so that teachers can implement it in their teaching (p. 248). If teachers want students to write an effective piece of writing describe an experience, then teachers need to explain what an effective piece of writing is and what the important factors to consider before writing (Loane & Muir, 2017, p. 250). For instance, Loane and Muir (2017), explained that adding adjectival phrases into the sentences, clarifies the idea of the writer more (p. 250). Another example Loane and Muir (2017) mentioned was including personification (p. 250), which makes the writing more interesting to read. Another important feature in writing, Loane and Muir (2017) stated that teachers need to guide students to use the correct punctuation, comma and semi-colon, to improve the meaning of their writing (p. 250). It all depends on the teacher what they want their students to achieve through their writing and the type of language they should use to make it appealing for the
reader.
“Unteaching the Five Paragraph Essay” by Marie Foley demonstrates how a five paragraph essay formula disturbs the thought process of the students and limits what they can write. A five paragraph essay is an introduction with the main idea, with three supporting topics showing the relationship to the main idea, and a conclusion summarizing the entire essay. Foley argues that this formula forces students to fill in the blank and meet a certain a word limit. She noted that this formula was intended for teachers in the education system to teach an overcrowded class how to write. While it is beneficial for the first-time students learning how to write. In the long run, this standard destroys any free style writing, new connections between a topic,
In the article, “Understanding Writing Assignments: Tips and Techniques,” author Dan Melzer shares with his audience seven useful suggestions to keep in mind when starting any writing assignment. Melzer’s first tips are for readers to examine their rubrics for any key verbs that will tell writers what approach and genre their paper should have. Knowing what kind of writing your teacher wants will not only help a writer get started, it will also inform a writer what they can research to view examples. Next, he tells his readers to write for their specific audience, to make sure they know their teacher’s expectations, and to take into account what they have learned in class. In these sections, Melzer stresses the importance of asking a teacher
However, though John Warner’s argument is strong, Kerri smith’s argument is stronger. In Kerri Smith’s article “In Defense of the Five-Paragraph Essay,” She claims that the five-paragraph essay should stay taught in schools as a guideline for a well-structured essay. She explains the five-paragraph essay as an “introduce-develop-conclude structure” that even great expository writing follows this structure (Smith 16). She purposefully communicates to her audience this idea to show that this structure gives students the knowledge and capability to write a professional essay. The five-paragraph essay includes the three key points to have a well-structured and organized essay. By mentioning that other great writers use this form of structure, she creates a stronger argument as to why the five-paragraph essay is important to education. She continues her article by explaining her early stages of writing and how she was taught; over time, her teachers would show her new ways to improve her writing which, in the end, she was told to think “of those five paragraphs simply as a mode of organization” (Smith
Frahm holds a similar point of view encouraging clear, straightforward writing not one with a “Confusing introduction. Lack of content. Bad transitions. (and) Excessive grammatical errors.” (Frahm 271).
4. Also be careful of run-on sentences. Let your sentences contain only one or two ideas, not three or four. Do not over-use semicolons or colons, use a period instead.
They must form lessons that should aid students in understanding composition, definitions, transition words, and symbolism. There is no denying the significance these lectures bring; however, for some students, it is not enough to repetitively apply the mentioned rules to discussions they find disinterest in, deciding for themselves unwilling to participate in the conversation teachers beg for students to join. As mentioned, Fish proclaims that to diverge from teaching subject matter any other way that is not specifically academic, deviates too much and distracts from the correct process of intellectual thought. In his The New York Times piece, "What Should Colleges Teach?", Fish states his stance expressing one must "teach the subject matter" alone and not to "adulterate it with substitutes". He continues praising "the virtue of imitation," asking students to "reproduce [great author's] forms with a different content". Already, Fish demands from students derivative mimicry in which they must glean an understanding of another's process. I echo Fish's own question: "How can [one] maintain... that there is only one way to teach writing?" As students, we desire to express ourselves, and to follow the principles Fish speaks of, to "[repeat] over and over again in the same stylized motions", confines us from discovering the beauty and potential writing can bring. Rather, students are taught we must so closely follow fastidious rules and decorative wording, teaching English may as well, as Fish writes, "make students fear that they are walking through a minefield of error," and to use such a method makes students believe to write any other way will cause them to "step on something that will wound them", the odds of students learning anything are diminished (Stanley Fish, "What Should
Syntactic style plays a strong role in writing. Without it, an author can not leave anything for the reader to think about. If the writer strictly wrote using paratactic style and let the words say exactly what the story involved, interpretation would be useless. Both syntactic and paratactic style benefit the work best is they are used in conjunction with one another. In the absence of one style, the other has a hard time standing on its own, and if a piece tries to work that way, it makes for a very dull or confusing piece. Using various styles in one work makes it more dynamic and intriguing.
... formulate their argument by first explaining the differences between the genres and acknowledging the opposing arguments. The author does this to answer any general questions the reader may have about such an english class and also provides the benefits. The author’s purpose to writing this piece was to persuade people that the way english classes are taught needs to be changed from covering general english subjects to introduction to different types of writing. The author believes students would benefit more from these classes and prepares them better for future classes and also writing in their professional careers.
While there are people who love to read and write, there are others that do not. When a student is required to read a book for a class and that student does not enjoy reading, there are very few things they would rather do less. And when that book’s topic is about learning how to write that is the worst of it. When I was assigned to read Writing with Style by John R. Trimble, my immediate thought was that this book and assignment was going to be a struggle to get through. To my pleasant surprise, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Writing with Style provides the reader with a wide range of writing tips while being written in a fun, conversational style. This book provides easy to find writing tools that can be understood by people of varying
This article is written by Lenin Irvin, who presents the challenges that students have to face when they are required to write academic writing tasks in college and introduces to students to what Academic writing is like. To start off the article introduces "Myths about writing". These myths are misconceptions that students tend to use as rules for a perfect writing. However these don’t just not help, but also lead them to failure. The author also states a crucial step which is developing the “writer sense” .This “writer sense” refers to the awareness of the writing situation in general. In a writing piece a student should see the difference between speaking and writing the article and use the correct punctuation and choice the appropriated
...ur knowledge. Vocabulary does not always restrict or mold what we can know. The extent to which vocabulary could limit what we can know or varies from the different areas of knowledge, as meaning can be very flexible and diverse. Often times, our vocabulary is limited; it fails to encompass the absolute reality of a concept, since by definition, vocabulary is a coordination of symbols serving to communicate opinions and thoughts, on the contrary, vocabulary can also serve as an entrance to a pool of knowledge. As a final point “Language is not the only vehicle of thought, it is a great and efficient instrument in thinking –Humphrey Davy”, our understanding by communication of language goes far beyond our knowledge for certain aspects; it shapes the communal thought process in which the vocabulary we use, ensemble the distinctive individuals in our ordinary lives.
Shafak speaks about her opinion on linguistic knowledge, suggesting that people who are only relative to their own language are minimized in terms of communication and have barriers that are set into place when trying to expand the understanding they have for the world’s different cultures. Although superficially this point does seem to be true, understanding a different language does not make one accustomed to the social aspects and certain sayings that comes along with many years of living and breathing it, as well as the culture it surrounds. Shafak views language as something that is easily obtained through study by emphasizing the ability to learn a new language through cultural exposure and personal practice, while that is only the beginning. The art of words is intertwined with centuries and centuries of knowledge and experience, and would take one that wasn’t born into it, a lifetime to fully understand the true depths to the words and how language brings forth power on the individual, and cultural level. Not only do languages differ vastly on a cultivated level, they also contrast heavily in a cognitive aspect. Nicolas Evans and Stephen C. Levinson discuss this thinking in “The Myth of Language Universals: Language Diversity and its Importance for Cognitive Science”. Evans and Levinson recognize the true mental diversity of languages by suggesting that “languages differ so fundamentally from one another at every level of description (sound, grammar, lexicon, [and] meaning) that it is very hard to find any single structural property they share”(429). Shafak appears to advert to the widespread misconception of language uniformity, both on a cognitive and cultural dimension as she fails to recognize not only the intellectual differences that make mastering a language so difficult, but more importantly the heritage
First of all, we should note that even though language is a tool we use to convey meaning and exchange ideas between members of the same community, everyone has a unique copy of this tool – what we call “common language” is actually a collection of mutually intelligible dialects we created upon learning the language and gradually refined by using it. Since the language acquiring process is unique for each speaker, the end product is too. For instance, the meanings we attribute to generic words vary between individuals1, as they have to encompass a class of objects rather than an individual item. This aspect allows small differences in the exact meaning of a word – what I consider a chair might not be one in someone else 's version of English, but that does not mean that we lack a common general notion of what a chair should be like – while small details may differ “the big picture” is still the same. Therefore, language only exists as a concept that encompasses all of the generally accepted and employed ways of conveying meaning and cannot be someone 's special property in its entirety2 – since we are the only users of our personal dialect, we know more about it than anyone else ever could, meaning that no one can claim jurisdiction over any version of the language other than their own.
I believe one issue in the teaching of writing is the student’s exposition of different writing styles. Writing styles across genre but for the sake of this discussion I want to focus on essay’s at the high school level. When I was in high school essay writing was a drag because it was always a “reflection” or a “persuasive” essay. There was never any real analyzation or evaluative skills necessary. It was not until my AP English class that I was exposed to writing at a more advanced level. I think in teaching writing at the high school level it should be more exploratory because the students have already acquired the fundamentals of language in “grammar” school. At the high school level it should be the job of the teacher to teach the students to use writing in many different ways and use it as a tool.
This is where the writer provides ideas and arguments with corresponding analysis, interpretation and evaluation. It also requires proficiency in grammar usage which means a writer should be mindful of the rules and conventions in writing to avoid erroneous sentence structure. Consistency is one of the skills needed in academic writing by making essays free from personal feelings and biases. A clear sense of argument is very important in academic writing because in writing the thoughts of writer would be vividly expressed. One has to give ideas and perception on a certain thing in the surroundings such as real object, picture, text, artifacts, phenomena and