Language has form and meaning

F./ Language has form and meaning;

Form can be studied scientifically and it can be described accurately. Meaning , on the other hand, does not yield itself to scientific study as easily as form does. Meaning is often a subjective matter and the meaning of an utterance is often decided by the situation in which it is said. The common grounds of conventional usage enable people to communicate . When there is little common understanding , a great deal of misunderstanding arises.

Teachers of foreign language who have a structural orientation usually believe that it is the sound system and the features of arrangement , not the meaning of words , that matter in the learning of a foreign language.

Transformational theorists have lately given meaning more attention than it used to receive . In 1970 s a strong movement carrying the name discourse analysis has emerged . In this school of language study more emphasis is placed on the functions of language particularly on language material above the clause or sentence.

G./ Languages are system of contrast;

What is distinctive in language ,i.e, what is so different that it distinguishes different meanings, is what matter most in language . In sounds , for example, the difference between the pronunciation of the two b s in cab and book is not important . More important is the difference between /b/ of a cab and the /p/ of cap. The difference between /b/ and /p/ is distinctive in English. The teacher may teach two tenses at a time . Examples;


Best Regards
Note: Click on the pdf icon below for downloading the lecture.