ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

METHODOLOGY

TOPIC
1 UNDERSTANDING LANGUAGE 1 HR

SYNOPSIS

In this topic you will be exposed to the definition and concept of language,
the communication process, the components of language and the factors
affecting language learning and acquisition.

LEARNING OUTCOME

i. Understand the definition and concept of language

ii. Identify aspects of language acquisition and language learning

iii. Explain the communication process.

iv. Identify the components of language.

v. Explain factors affecting language learning

vi. Explain the assessment of listening comprehension

vii. Identify and apply techniques of teaching listening comprehension

in different contexts..

1
 ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
METHODOLOGY

Conceptual Framework of Topics

1.1 Introduction to :Language

1.1.1 Definition
1.1.2 Concept

1.2 The Comunication Process

Understanding 1.3 Components of language

Language 1.3.1 Sementics 1.3.4 Syntax
1.3.2 Phonology 1.3.5 Pragnatics
1.3.3 Morphology

1.4 Factors affecting language learning /

acquisition
1.4.1 Cognitive 1.4.3 Attitude
1.4.2 Environment

1.4.2 Environment

1.4.3 Gejala sosial

2
 ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
METHODOLOGY
1.1 Introduction to Language

Language is common to all humans. Many social scientists and philosophers say it’s this
ability to use language symbolically that makes us “human.”

Though it may be a universal human attribute, language is hardly simple.

1.1.1 Definition of Language

Some say it is a body of words and the systems for their use common to a people
who are of the same community or nation, the same geographical area, or the
same cultural tradition.

It can also mean communication by voice in the distinctively human manner, using
arbitrary sounds in conventional ways with conventional meanings.

It is also the system of linguistic signs or symbols considered in the abstract ( as

opposed to speech).

It is any set or system of such symbols as used in a more or less uniform fashion
by a number of people, who are thus enabled to communicate intelligibly with one
another.

It is also any system of formalized symbols, signs, sounds, gestures, or the like
used or conceived as a means of communicating thought, emotion, etc.It is also
the language of mathematics.

1.1.2 Concept of Language

Transformational Genetive Grammara theory developed by Noam Chomsky between 1950

and 1960 contains the idea that a sentence has two meanings within it. The two include a
deep structure and a surface structure. The deep structure is the semantic relationships
within the sentence and the surface structure follows the phonological form of the sentence.
He believed that language did not have the same deep structure in all languages but rather
languages had similarities of structure. In the 1990s, Chomsky changed his theory to a
new theory stating that the structures were no longer the only main components of a
sentence. He suggested that sentence structure included Logical Form and Phonetic Form.
This help children understand that speech can come in the form of writing.Therefore, we
must develop children's understanding that writing is a message in the form of print and
that print is constant. We must also show that written language is often different from
spoken language. We must teach that numbers, letters and words are different. Teachers
must also show the difference between a letter, a word and a sentence. We have to help
3
 ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
METHODOLOGY
children understand that a letter or letters represent a sound within a word. We must show
them that words form sentences and sentences form messages or stories. The
understanding of the correct usage of language will enable and ease the communication
process.

1.2 The communication process

Communication is a process of exchanging verbal and non verbal messages. It is a
continuous process. Pre-requisite of communication is a message. This message must be
conveyed through some medium to the recipient. It is essential that this message must be
understood by the recipient in the same terms as intended by the sender. He must respond
within a time frame. Thus, communication is a two way process and is incomplete without a
feedback from the recipient to the sender on how well the message is understood by him.

Communication Process

1.2.1 The main components of communication process are as follows:

1. Context - Communication is affected by the context in which it takes place. This

context may be physical, social, chronological or cultural. Every communication
proceeds with context. The sender chooses the message to communicate within a
context.
2. Sender / Encoder –Tthe Sender / Encoder is a person who sends the message. A
sender makes use of symbols (words or graphic or visual aids) to convey the
message and produce the required response. For instance - a training manager
conducting training for new batch of employees. Sender may be an individual or a
group or an organization. The views, background, approach, skills, competencies,
and knowledge of the sender have a great impact on the message. The verbal and
non verbal symbols chosen are essential in ascertaining interpretation of the
message by the recipient in the same terms as intended by the sender.
3. Message - Message is a key idea that the sender wants to communicate. It is a
sign that elicits the response of recipient. Communication process begins with
deciding about the message to be conveyed. It must be ensured that the main

4
 ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
METHODOLOGY
objective of the message is clear.
4. Medium - Medium is a means used to exchange / transmit the message. The
sender must choose an appropriate medium for transmitting the message else the
message might not be conveyed to the desired recipients. The choice of
appropriate medium of communication is essential for making the message
effective and correctly interpreted by the recipient. This choice of communication
medium varies depending upon the features of communication. For instance -
Written medium is chosen when a message has to be conveyed to a small group of
people, while an oral medium is chosen when spontaneous feedback is required
from the recipient as misunderstandings are cleared then and there.
5. Recipient / Decoder - Recipient / Decoder is a person for whom the message is
intended / aimed / targeted. The degree to which the decoder understands the
message is dependent upon various factors such as knowledge of recipient, their
responsiveness to the message, and the reliance of encoder on decoder.
6. Feedback - Feedback is the main component of communication process as it
permits the sender to analyze the efficacy of the message. It helps the sender in
confirming the correct interpretation of message by the decoder. Feedback may be
verbal (through words) or non-verbal (in form of smiles, sighs, etc.). It may take
written form also in form of memos, reports, etc.

1.2.2 Communication Barriers - Reasons for Communication Breakdown

Communication is a process beginning with a sender who encodes the message and
passes it through some channel to the receiver who decodes the message. Communication
is fruitful if and only if the messages sent by the sender is interpreted with the same
meaning by the receiver. If any kind of disturbance blocks any step of communication, the
message will be destroyed. Due to such disturbances, managers in an organization face
severe problems. Thus the managers must locate such barriers and take steps to get rid of
them.

There are several barriers that affects the flow of communication in an organization. These
barriers interrupt the flow of communication from the sender to the reciever, thus making
communication ineffective. It is essential for managers to overcome these barriers. The
main barriers of communication are summarized below.

The following are the main communication barriers:

1. Perceptual and Language Differences: Perception is generally how each

individual interprets the world around him. All generally want to receive messages
which are significant to them. But any message which is against their values is not

5
 ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
METHODOLOGY
accepted. A same event may be taken differently by different individuals. For
example : A person is on leave for a month due to personal reasons (family
member being critical). The HR Manager might be in confusion whether to retain
that employee or not, the immediate manager might think of replacement because
his teams productivity is being hampered, the family members might take him as
an emotional support.

The linguistic differences also lead to communication breakdown. Same word may
mean different to different individuals. For example: consider a word “value”.

a. What is the value of this Laptop?

b. I value our relation?
c. What is the value of learning technical skills?

“Value” means different in different sentences. Communication breakdown occurs if there is

wrong perception by the receiver.

2. Information Overload: Managers are surrounded with a pool of information. It is

essential to control this information flow or else the information is likely to be misinterpreted
or forgotten or overlooked. As a result communication is less effective.
3 Inattention: At times we just not listen, but only hear. For example a traveler may pay
attention to one “NO PARKING” sign, but if such sign is put all over the city, he no longer
listens to it. Thus, repetitive messages should be ignored for effective communication.
Similarly if a superior is engrossed in his paper work and his subordinate explains him his
problem, the superior may not get what he is saying and it leads to disappointment of
subordinate.
4 Time Pressures: Often in organization the targets have to be achieved within a specified
time period, the failure of which has adverse consequences. In a haste to meet deadlines,
the formal channels of communication are shortened, or messages are partially given, i.e.,
not completely transferred. Thus sufficient time should be given for effective
communication.
5 Distraction/Noise: Communication is also affected a lot by noise to distractions.
Physical distractions are also there such as, poor lightning, uncomfortable sitting,
unhygienic room also affects communication in a meeting. Similarly use of loud speakers
interferes with communication.
6 Emotions: Emotional state at a particular point of time also affects communication. If the
receiver feels that communicator is angry he interprets that the information being sent is
very bad. While he takes it differently if the communicator is happy and jovial (in that case
the message is interpreted to be good and interesting).
7 Complexity in Organizational Structure: Greater the hierarchy in an organization (i.e.
more the number of managerial levels), more is the chances of communication getting
destroyed. Only the people at the top level can see the overall picture while the people at

6
 ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
METHODOLOGY
low level just have knowledge about their own area and a little knowledge about other
areas.

8. Poor retention: Human memory cannot function beyond a limit. One cant always retain
what is being told specially if he is not interested or not attentive. This leads to
communication breakdown.

1.2.3 Overcoming Communication Barriers

There are a lot of communication barriers faced these days by all. The message intended
by the sender is not understood by the receiver in the same terms and sense and thus
communication breakdown occurs. It is essential to deal and cope up with these
communication barriers so as to ensure smooth and effective communication.

As, in the previous section we have discussed the major barriers of communication. Let’s
talk about how to overcome these barriers of communication.

1. Eliminating differences in perception: The organization should ensure that it is

recruiting right individuals on the job. It’s the responsibility of the interviewer to
ensure that the interviewee has command over the written and spoken language.
There should be proper Induction program so that the policies of the company are
clear to all the employees. There should be proper trainings conducted for required
employees (for eg: Voice and Accent training).
2. Use of Simple Language: Use of simple and clear words should be emphasized.
Use of ambiguous words and jargons should be avoided.
3. Reduction and elimination of noise levels: Noise is the main communication
barrier which must be overcome on priority basis. It is essential to identify the
source of noise and then eliminate that source.
4. Active Listening: Listen attentively and carefully. There is a difference between
“listening” and “hearing”. Active listening means hearing with proper understanding
of the message that is heard. By asking questions the speaker can ensure whether
his/her message is understood or not by the receiver in the same terms as
intended by the speaker.
5. Emotional State: During communication one should make effective use of body
language. He/she should not show their emotions while communication as the
receiver might misinterpret the message being delivered. For example, if the
conveyer of the message is in a bad mood then the receiver might think that the
information being delivered is not good.
6. Simple Organizational Structure: The organizational structure should not be
complex. The number of hierarchical levels should be optimum. There should be a
ideal span of control within the organization. Simpler the organizational structure,
more effective will be the communication.

7
 ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
METHODOLOGY
7. Avoid Information Overload: The managers should know how to prioritize their
work. They should not overload themselves with the work. They should spend
quality time with their subordinates and should listen to their problems and
feedbacks actively.
8. Give Constructive Feedback: Avoid giving negative feedback. The contents of
the feedback might be negative, but it should be delivered constructively.
Constructive feedback will lead to effective communication between the superior
and subordinate.
9. Proper Media Selection: The managers should properly select the medium of
communication. Simple messages should be conveyed orally, like: face to face
interaction or meetings. Use of written means of communication should be
encouraged for delivering complex messages. For significant messages reminders
can be given by using written means of communication such as : Memos, Notices
etc.
10. Flexibility in meeting the targets: For effective communication in an organization
the managers should ensure that the individuals are meeting their targets timely
without skipping the formal channels of communication. There should not be much
pressure on employees to meet their targets.

1.2 Components of language

Human language involves both receptive and productive use. Receptive language use
occurs during the comprehension or understanding of words and sentences. Productive
language use involves idea generation and the articulation of words in speech. Both
reception and production utilize the four basic structural components of language:

1.3.1 Semantics

The system of meanings that are expressed by words and phrases. In order to serve as a
means of communication between people, words must have a shared or conventional
meaning. Picking out the correct meaning for each new word is a major learning task for
children.
Not only does the grammatical structure of our language provide the needed clues
for understanding, we also have a wealth of figurative language and rich description that
adds color and nuance to our communication. Semantics refers to the ways in which a
language conveys meaning. i It is our understanding of semantics that allows us to
recognize that someone who is “green with envy” has not changed hue, or that “having cold
feet” has less to do with the appendage at the end of our legs and more to do with our
anxiety about a new experience. Because semantics moves beyond the literal meaning of
words and is culture-dependent, this is among the most difficult aspects of language for
individuals who are not native speakers and even those who speak the same language but
come from different cultures and convey meaning using words in unique ways. Anyone who

8
 ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
METHODOLOGY
has attempted to converse with a teenager in his own vernacular can appreciate the
importance of sharing a semantic base for communicating clearly.

1.3.2 Phonology

The system of the sound segments that humans use to build up words. Each language has
a different set of these segments or phonemes, and children quickly come to recognize and
then produce the speech segments that are characteristic of their native language.
The study of speech structure within a language, including both the patterns of
basic speech units and the accepted rules of pronunciation, is known as phonology. ii The
smallest units of sound that make up a language are called phonemes. For example, the
word “that” contains three phonemes the “th” represents one phoneme /th/, the “a” maps to
the short a sound /ă/, and the “t” to its basic sound /t/.

1.3.3 Morphology
2 Moving to the next level of language, we find the study of the smallest units of
meaning, morphemes. Morphemes include base words, such as “hat,” “dog,” or
“love,” as well as affixes, such as “un-,” “re-,” the plural “s” or “es,” and the past tense
“ed.” Knowledge of the morphology of our language is critical to vocabulary
development and reflects the smallest building blocks for comprehension.

1.3.4 Syntax
The study of how individual words and their most basic meaningful units are
combined to create sentences is known as syntax. As words are grouped together when we
communicate, we must follow the rules of grammar for our language, in other words, its
syntax. It is the knowledge of syntax that allows us to recognize that the following two
sentences, while containing different word order and levels of complexity, have the same
meaning.

 The boy hit the ball.

 The ball was hit by the boy.

Syntax also allows us to accept “I went to the store” as a meaningful (grammatical)

sentence while “To store went I” would not be acceptable English.

1.3.5 Pragmatics

The system of patterns that determine how humans can use language in particular social
settings for particular conversational purposes. Children learn that conversations
customarily begin with a greeting, require turn taking, and concern a shared topic. They
come to adjust the content of their communications to match their listener's interests,
knowledge, and language ability.

9
 ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
METHODOLOGY
“‘Pragmatics’ refers to the ways the members of the speech community achieve
their goals using language.”iii The way we speak to our parents is not the same as the way
we interact with a sibling, for example. The language used in a formal speech may bear
little resemblance to what we would hear at a lunch with five friends. The conversational
style of day-to-day interactions is quite different from the language used even when reading
a storybook to a toddler. Knowing the difference and when to use which style is the
essence of pragmatics.

1.4 Factors affecting language learning / acquisition

Some students learn a new language more quickly and easily than others. This simple fact is
known by all who have themselves learned a second language or taught those who are
using their second language in school. Clearly, some language learners are successful by
virtue of their sheer determination, hard work and persistence. However there are other
crucial factors influencing success that are largely beyond the control of the learner. These
factors can be broadly categorized as internal and external. It is their complex interplay that
determines the speed and facility with which the new language is learned.

Internal factors

Internal factors are those that the individual language learner brings with him or her to the
particular learning situation.

 Age: Second language acquisition is influenced by the age of the learner. Children,
who already have solid literacy skills in their own language, seem to be in the best
position to acquire a new language efficiently. Motivated, older learners can be
very successful too, but usually struggle to achieve native-speaker-equivalent
pronunciation and intonation.
 Personality: Introverted or anxious learners usually make slower progress,
particularly in the development of oral skills. They are less likely to take advantage
of opportunities to speak, or to seek out such opportunities. More outgoing
students will not worry about the inevitability of making mistakes. They will take
risks, and thus will give themselves much more practice.
 Motivation: Intrinsic motivation has been found to correlate strongly with
educational achievement. Clearly, students who enjoy language learning and take
pride in their progress will do better than those who don't.
Extrinsic motivation is also a significant factor. ESL students, for example, who
need to learn English in order to take a place at an American university or to
communicate with a new English boy/girlfriend are likely to make greater efforts
and thus greater progress.
 Experiences: Learners who have acquired general knowledge and experience are
in a stronger position to develop a new language than those who haven't. The
student, for example, who has already lived in 3 different countries and been
10
 ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
METHODOLOGY
exposed to various languages and cultures has a stronger base for learning a
further language than the student who hasn't had such experiences.
 Cognition: In general, it seems that students with greater cognitive abilities will
make the faster progress. Some linguists believe that there is a specific, innate
language learning ability that is stronger in some students than in others.
 Native language: Students who are learning a second language which is from the
same language family as their first language have, in general, a much easier task
than those who aren't. So, for example, a Dutch child will learn English more
quickly than a Japanese child.

External factors

External factors are those that characterize the particular language learning situation.

 Curriculum: For ESL students in particular it is important that the totality of their
educational experience is appropriate for their needs. Language learning is less
likely to place if students are fully submersed into the mainstream program without
any extra assistance or, conversely, not allowed to be part of the mainstream until
they have reached a certain level of language proficiency.
 Instruction: Clearly, some language teachers are better than others at providing
appropriate and effective learning experiences for the students in their classrooms.
These students will make faster progress.
The same applies to mainstream teachers in second language situations. The
science teacher, for example, who is aware that she too is responsible for the
students' English language development, and makes certain accommodations, will
contribute to their linguistic development.
 Culture and status: There is some evidence that students in situations where their
own culture has a lower status than that of the culture in which they are learning
the language make slower progress.
 Motivation: Students who are given continuing, appropriate encouragment to learn
by their teachers and parents will generally fare better than those who aren't. For
example, students from families that place little importance on language learning
are likely to progress less quickly.
 Access to native speakers: The opportunity to interact with native speakers both
within and outside of the classroom is a significant advantage. Native speakers are
linguistic models and can provide appropriate feedback. Clearly, second-language
learners who have no extensive access to native speakers are likely to make
slower progress, particularly in the oral/aural aspects of language acquisition.

"Some students learn a new language more quickly and easily than others."

11
 ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING
METHODOLOGY

Exercise 1

Testing understanding of concepts and reasoning.

Explain barriers of communication. Identify ways for you to overcome this

and try to relate this problem to language acquisition. Get additional
information form books, journals or articles found in the internet. .

12