Language as Communication: Oral and Written Language | Resúmenes de Comunicación

TOPIC 1: LANGUAGE AS COMMUNICATION: ORAL AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE.

FACTORS THAT DEFINE A COMMUNICATIVE SITUATION: TRANSMITTER,

RECEIVER, FUNCTIONALITY AND CONTEXT.

If we make reference to the Royal Decree, 126 /2014 (passed on 28th February), which

establishes the basic contents and objectives of Primary Education and Decree 89 /2014,of 24th July

which determines the Official Curriculum of Primary Education in The Community of Madrid, we

can confirm that the main goal of Foreign Language Teaching in Primary Education is the

development of Communicative Competence in our students. This competence implies the mastery

of four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Through this essay I will deal with

conceptualizing the mechanisms communicating in a second language. In the first section, I will

define communication and its capacity to establish itself in verbal and written form. In the second

section, I will define the factors of a communicative situation, while also referring to the principal

functions of language. I will close this expose with a conclusion and the bibliography that served as

its basis.

Now that the outline of this essay has been presented, let’s continue developing the first part of the

topic, “language as communication: oral and written language”.

Before approaching the complicated process of discussing communication, it seems advisable to ask

ourselves what communication is and when it occurs in our lives. Human beings are capable of

recognizing the great flux of information that surrounds them. Communication is inherent in people

and the methods used to achieve communication are varied and complicated. It is necessary to note

that whatever the definition of communication, it should have some fundamental concepts in

common: firstly, a process of information is key, which implies a will to transmit a message and a

need for information. A second concept is the use of a code. This concept implies an understanding

made up of reality and the symbols used to represent that same reality. Finally, we move onto the

comprehension and expression processes of the messages. The existence of those processes

requires the mastery of cognitive skills for both codifying and decodifying the message.

Communication can be verbal and non-verbal. Verbal communication is basically communication

through words. We can distinguish between the different features of oral and written mediums. For

example, oral language is nourished by simple or coordinated statements and written language by

complexities and subordinated statements. In spontaneous language (oral) the connections and the

introductory structures are simpler than in planned language (written). Finally, in spontaneous

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TOPIC 1: LANGUAGE AS COMMUNICATION: ORAL AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE.

FACTORS THAT DEFINE A COMMUNICATIVE SITUATION: TRANSMITTER,

RECEIVER, FUNCTIONALITY AND CONTEXT.

If we make reference to the Royal Decree, 126 /2014 (passed on 28th^ February), which establishes the basic contents and objectives of Primary Education and Decree 89 /2014,of 24th^ July which determines the Official Curriculum of Primary Education in The Community of Madrid, we can confirm that the main goal of Foreign Language Teaching in Primary Education is the development of Communicative Competence in our students. This competence implies the mastery of four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Through this essay I will deal with conceptualizing the mechanisms communicating in a second language. In the first section, I will define communication and its capacity to establish itself in verbal and written form. In the second section, I will define the factors of a communicative situation, while also referring to the principal functions of language. I will close this expose with a conclusion and the bibliography that served as its basis. Now that the outline of this essay has been presented, let’s continue developing the first part of the topic, “language as communication: oral and written language”. Before approaching the complicated process of discussing communication, it seems advisable to ask ourselves what communication is and when it occurs in our lives. Human beings are capable of recognizing the great flux of information that surrounds them. Communication is inherent in people and the methods used to achieve communication are varied and complicated. It is necessary to note that whatever the definition of communication, it should have some fundamental concepts in common: firstly, a process of information is key, which implies a will to transmit a message and a need for information. A second concept is the use of a code. This concept implies an understanding made up of reality and the symbols used to represent that same reality. Finally, we move onto the comprehension and expression processes of the messages. The existence of those processes requires the mastery of cognitive skills for both codifying and decodifying the message. Communication can be verbal and non-verbal. Verbal communication is basically communication through words. We can distinguish between the different features of oral and written mediums. For example, oral language is nourished by simple or coordinated statements and written language by complexities and subordinated statements. In spontaneous language (oral) the connections and the introductory structures are simpler than in planned language (written). Finally, in spontaneous

language repetition gives coherence to the message, while this practice is generally avoided in writing. Both types of languages should be the object of attention from early school days. Oral communication is a two-way process between the speaker and the listener. Speakers and listeners are constantly changing roles. Teachers will have to take the students from imitating model language to using language more freely. Although in Primary Education oral communication is the priority, we cannot forget the written language as part of verbal communication. Learning to write is necessary in order to have a good mastery of both the oral and written form. Children will need it in real life and it also reinforces the learning of oral communication. Now that we know what verbal communication consist of, let’s continue by explaining another type of communication: non-verbal communication. This type of communication is very important, especially when linguistic competence is low. Information received from the gestures, attitude and facial expression of the speaker is as important as oral language. The integration of verbal and non- verbal elements is a natural phenomenon in the act of communication. From a didactic point of view, the use of non-verbal communication guarantees the comprehension of messages and progression in the early stages of language acquisition. Methods of teaching a foreign language based in the physical response to verbal message are important. Piaget considered fundamental the association of statements by adults with actions carried out by children. Such is the case of Total Physical Response (TPR) developed by Asher. This is a method of teaching language using physical movement to react to verbal input in order to reduce students’ inhibitions. The introduction of the foreign language area of our legislation establishes that the goal of second language learning is communicating in a foreign tongue, favouring its instrumental use, which means adopting a focus based on communication and on the progressive development of communicative competence. This is the goal in the teaching of a second language: communicative competence. However, what is Communicative Competence? Dell Hymes established this new concept in language theory. For Chomsky, competence simply implies the knowledge of the language system. Hymes maintained that Chomsky´s theory was incomplete, and that the communicative and cultural dimension should be incorporated. Canale and Swain expanded on Hymes establishing four dimensions of communicative competence (sub competences): grammatical, discursive, sociolinguistic and strategic competence. These four

In any communication situation, five elements are present. These include: transmitter (who codifies and produces the message), receiver (who captures and decodes the message) and code (a system of signs assumed and understood by transmitter and receiver). They also include: message (information coded and decoded in which the content may be prepositional (objective meaning from the message) and locative (subjective meaning)) and channel (physical medium by which the message is transmitted). All elements that make up a communicative situation are formed in a context. We can distinguish among physical, historical and sociocultural contexts. As foreign language teachers, we cannot ignore the importance of creating a context in our classrooms when introducing new language and putting it into practice. The importance of creating an adequate context is also recognized in our legislation: it is necessary to put the students in contact with communicative data; with sufficient contextual support to facilitate comprehension. Using the above approach, beginning in a familiar and close context to our students and using sufficient contextual support, we will facilitate the acquisition of a working language. We will also increase comprehension, reduce anxiety and provoke an increased interest and motivation that will facilitate meaningful learning. Understanding that the essential objective of primary education is communication, we can continue explaining that all communication has an intention that is a communicative function and according to Jacobson, these functions are the followings: expressive or emotive, poetic, phatic, metalinguistic or metalingual, conative and referential. Each of the functions has an associated factor. The emotive function refers to the transmitter, and the expression of his/her feelings and attitudes. One of the most common expressions is: “Oh, my God!” The poetic function focuses on the message and how it is used. This is the language used for poetry or as verbal play (crosswords, jokes). The phatic function is directed towards the channel. This is based on the human being’s need for showing signs of friendship. Sentences like “good morning”, “nice to meet you”, are examples. The metalingual function is directed towards the message. This is used when explanations are requested for clarification, for example “I don’t understand”. The conative function is directed to the receiver. This is used to draw the receiver’s attention; for example, the expressions “excuse me”. The referential function is directed towards the context. This is used to describe a situation, object or mental state. For example, the explanation of a lesson or the narration of what has been done during a holiday, are referential.

This classification serves as a reference when planning lessons because, as we have already mentioned, it will be our job to provide situations where diversity of intention is present. In this unit we have seen that Communication is the exchange of ideas and information between people. To communicate, we don’t only use words but also gestures. We use verbal and non-verbal strategies in order to communicate. We have also seen what communicative competence means and the factors that define a communication situation. Taking this into account and since communication is the main purpose of a language, it would be illogical not to create a real communication atmosphere in class. For this reason, the English classroom must be managed by the learners as well as by the teacher. That is to say, learners must be confident enough to initiate communication in English, and not merely respond when they are addressed by the teacher. I believe that the solution is to give students the resources and context they need, because without these, opportunities are missed, and we risk not guiding the students to deal with real-life situations. In order to develop this essay I have made references to the following bibliography:

Harmer, Jeremy (1991) “ The practice of English Language Teaching”. Longman.
Richards & Schmidt “Language and Communication”. Longman.
Skinner “ Verbal Behaviour”. Prentice Hall 1957.
Brewster & Ellis and Girard “ The Primary English Teacher’s Guide” 1991. Penguin.

Language as Communication: Oral and Written Language, Resúmenes de Comunicación

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¡Descarga Language as Communication: Oral and Written Language y más Resúmenes en PDF de Comunicación solo en Docsity!

TOPIC 1: LANGUAGE AS COMMUNICATION: ORAL AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE.

FACTORS THAT DEFINE A COMMUNICATIVE SITUATION: TRANSMITTER,

RECEIVER, FUNCTIONALITY AND CONTEXT.