Module 1 Language and Communication
Module 1 Language and Communication
Module 1 Language and Communication
I. Lesson Objectives
At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the key ideas in language;
2. Describe the nature of communication; and
3. Relate themselves with personal experiences with the input presented
II. DISCUSSION
WHAT IS LANGUAGE?
Together with the creation of human life is the creation of a wonderful and dynamic human capacity ---
language. Animals are said to be able to communicate with each other. Whales sing, wolves howl, dogs bark, and
birds chirp. The sounds these creatures produce often reflect the state of their emotions. While it may be true that
animals communicate, only human beings are truly capable of producing language.
What exactly is language?
Linguists agree that a language can only be called a language if it has a system of rules (also known as
grammar) a sound system (phonology), and a vocabulary (lexicon). These are the requirements for identifying a means
of communication as a language. A monkey may be able to signal to its partner that it is sharing food. The monkey will
produce sounds and gestures but will not be able to organize the sounds into a meaningful system with rules. What
the monkey is producing is not a language in the strictest sense of the world. Human beings on the other hand, are
able to communicate their desire to share food through several ways that are understandable to other human beings.
They may utter a word (Food!), raise a question (Want some food?), or give a statement (I’d like to share this food with
you).
When people use language, they can understand each other because they belong to the same speech
community. They can understand each other because in their speech community, people share the same set of rules
in the language system. While growing up, people acquire the languages used by those in the community. This is the
process of language acquisition. The languages acquired while growing up are known as mother tongues, which may
also be referred as first languages. People discover later on those other languages are needed for various reasons.
These other languages may be referred to as second languages. People learn these languages by studying formally
in school or informally on their own. This is the process of language learning.
WHAT IS COMMUNICATION?
It is the dual or two-way process of transmitting messages from one person to another. It is the symbolic
interaction between two or more people that influences each other’s behavior. With it, not only does one make his/her
own self understood, he /she also get to understand others.
Depending on what is being considered, communication as a term takes on different contexts resulting in
people having different views on communication types. Since communication is generally defined as the exchange of
thoughts, ideas, concepts, and views between or among two or more people, various contexts come into play. Context
is the circumstance or environment in which communication takes place. Such circumstance may include the physical
or actual setting, the value positions of a speaker/listener, and the relevance or appropriateness of a message
conveyed. It focuses on certain communication processes and even groupings of people that constitute a
communication situation.
Different contexts can impact one’s communication. Each communication type is governed by a particular
circumstance. Thus, it is essential to pay attention to the interplay of factors surrounding the context of communication,
which may be physical, cultural, social and psychological in nature. Communication may then be classified according
to: (1) communication mode (2) context, and (3) purpose and style.
In both examples above, the content-level meaning is the same but the relationship-level meaning varies
depending on the type of relationship of the persons involved in communication.
Meaning also refers to the understanding of the message. Ideally, your message should be understood in
the same manner you intend it to be. Similarly, the people who send you a message expect that you understand it in
the same way they do. However, it is a reality that all of the messages you generate are not shared by others with
whom you try to communicate. Accordingly, the message is open to different interpretations. When you raise your
eyebrow, others might interpret that you are annoyed or irritated but probably as far as you are concerned, you
incidentally raised it because you had a hard time thinking of a better title for your research paper. Yawning during a
lecture might be understood by your professor as a sign of disinterest in the lesson, but for you, it just really means
you are sleepy because you only slept for two hours and you could not contain yourself to be further awake in class.
Putting the concepts and other definitions together, communication can be defined as a continuous
activity (process) that operates within a certain context (system) in which people exchange words, gestures,
and other verbal and non-verbal (symbols) behavior to create and understand information or messages
(meaning).
REFERENCES
• Ambida, Roger S., Galicha, Josephine P., Oandasan, Richard L., Purposive Communication, C&E Publishing
Inc. 2019
• Madrunio, Marilou R.,Martin, Isabel P., Purposive Communication, Using English in Multilingual Contexts,
C&E Publishing Inc. 2018