Purposive Communication

Lesson 1
Language and Communication
Module 1-Week 1

Hello my dear students!

Have you often wondered how you have learned the

language you are using today?

Understanding the nature of language and communication

will better help you to understand how people communicate with
each other.

To learn more about this topic sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of
this module.

To get the most from this module, you need to do the following:

1. Begin by reading and understanding the learning outcomes.

2. Follow the directions or instructions in the activities diligently.

3. Answer all the given tests and exercises through practical questions to enhance your understanding and
improve your thinking faculty through your involvement in situational activities.

4. Read the discussion section carefully. It contains important notes or basic information that you need to
know.

5. You must be able to apply the lessons in real-life situations for better understanding.

6. Each lesson also provides you with guide questions and references for your guide. They can be of great help. Use
them fully

Purposive Communication
 Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

 Define language and communication;
 Explain the nature of language and communication; and
 Reflect on the nature of language by writing a language biography.

Instructions: Examine the Know-Want-Learn (KWL) chart below. In the first column, you will list
three (3) things that you Know about language. Meanwhile, in the second column, you will generate
questions about what you Want to know about language. Lastly, in the third column, you will write the
answers to the questions that you formulated. The last column can be accomplished after you finish
reading the discussion portion of the module.

Language

What I KNOW What I WANT to know What I have LEARNED

Communication

Please be guided by the following questions as you navigate the discussion of the first lesson:

1. What is the nature of language and communication?

2. What is the role of language in communication?

3. Why is it necessary to learn and understand the nature of language?

Purposive Communication
 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, birds chirp. The sounds of 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 (Madrunio & Martin, 2018).

What exactly is language?

Ederio et al. (n.d.) mentioned that language is a wonderfully rich vehicle for communication.

1. It is a system of conventional spoken, manual, or written symbols by means of which

human beings, as members of a social group and participants in its culture, express
themselves. Ederio et al. (n.d.)
2. Language is an abstract system of symbols and meanings. This system includes the rules
(grammar) that relate symbols and meanings so that we can communicate with each
other.
3. Language and its related processes may be the most important feature distinguishing
humans from all other animals.
4. The method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of
words in a structured and conventional way.
5. Language is a system of words or signs that people use to express thoughts and feelings
to each other. (merriam-webster.com)
6. Language is a system of communication, a medium for thought, and a social interaction.

Sound-meaning link
This is really crucial to our ability to communicate. We are able to communicate with each other
because we've already reached an agreement. The meaning of each concept is permanently linked to a
particular word -- it is printed and pronounced in the same way each time it is used. Without that
agreement we'd have no language. Without that agreement we'd have no communication.
In processing language, speakers must share agreement on sound, rules of organization,
and meaning.
NATURE OF LANGUAGE

Purposive Communication
 1. Language is a combination of sounds.
2. Words have meanings. MEANING ARE IN PEOPLE NOT IN WORDS.
 Because of this, you must not only consider your interpretation of the word, but also the
meaning the communicator is trying to get through

Did you know that “set” is the word with the most number of meanings?
Noun: 58 Verb: 126 Adjective: 10

3. Language follows a grammatical structure.

4. Language is based on aural and oral system.
5. Language can die and be extinct.
FUNCTIONS OF LANGUAGE
 The functions of language include communication, the expression of identity, play,
imaginative expression, and emotional release.
 These are the requirements for identifying a means of communication as a language.

SOME REASONS FOR THE GROWTH AND DECLINE OF LANGUAGE:

1. Changing societal needs
2. Erosion of old customs
3. Call for elegance
An endangered language is a language that is at risk of falling out of use as its speakers die out or
shift to speaking another language.
Language loss occurs when the language has no more native speakers, and becomes a "dead language".
EXAMPLES
 Ancient Greek slowly evolved into modern Greek, and Latin slowly evolved into modern
Italian
 Yuchi (Euchee) is the language of the Yuchi people living in the southeastern United
States, including eastern Tennessee, western Carolinas, northern Georgia, and Alabama,
in the period of early European colonization. However, speakers of the Yuchi language
were forcibly relocated to Oklahoma in the early 19th century.

 An extinct language is a language that no longer has any speakers, or that is no longer in
current use.
 Dead languages are still known and used in special contexts in written form.
 A dead language may remain in use for scientific, legal, or ecclesiastical functions. Old Church
Slavonic, Classical Armenian, Avestan, Coptic, Biblical Hebrew, New Testament Greek, Ge'ez,
Ardhamagadhi, Pali, Sanskrit and Latin are among the many dead languages used as sacred
languages.
TRIVIA: LANGUAGE CAN BE DIVERSE.
Ethnologue records 7,358 living languages known. But on 2015- 05-20, Ethnologue reported only
7,102 known living languages.

CHARACTERISTICS OF LANGUAGE

Purposive Communication
 1. Language is dynamic.
2. Language has levels.
3. Language is creative and unique.
4. Language is a means of communication.
5. Language identifies culture.
6. Language is arbitrary.
Languages are said to be arbitrary because there is no necessary or natural relationship between the
words of a given language and the concepts that they represent. Also, languages are arbitrary because
the rules for the combination of signs in order to produce complete thoughts are different from one
language to the other, and no set of rules can claim to be the "right" one.

SPEECH COMMUNITY
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 to as the first language. People discover later
on that 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 a process of language learning (Madrunio & Martin, 2018).

When people visit different speech communities that are different from their own, they
encounter different ways of expressing concepts. Take into account the Americans and English speakers.
Though they are using the same language, their pronunciation and even the terms and spelling are
different. By this, we can see that they have different rules for their speeches. This is why there are
differences in their languages.
But if two different languages come into contact with one another, there could be a language
change. This is done to cater to the needs of the speakers. For example, you are a Korean student who
went to the Philippines to study, can you communicate with the people in that country? The answer is
yes, though it will be a challenge, as time passes by, you can both learn each other’s language. This
process is called language contact. The result of such contact may form a new language. As you
communicate with your Filipino friend, you create a language system that both of you can understand.

Language is indeed a complex human capacity. It is, therefore, essential to be aware of its
features and behavior to be able to tell to use language more effectively and productively in
COMMUNICATION communicating with others.

Purposive Communication
  Communication is the passing of information from one organism to another using signals.
Can communication exist without language?
For beings who do not have their own language, communication can still exist.
For instance, when in distress, the dolphin emits two whistles over and over again—one getting
gradually louder, the other getting gradually softer. It silences any nearby dolphins and causes them to
search for the source. Once found, that dolphin is pushed to the surface and a complex exchange of
signals occurs.
When it comes to communicating with others, we rely most heavily on our most sophisticated
human skill -- language.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION
Humans communicate with language. Though, language is not the only means of
communication. Whenever communication is thought of, we always associate it with language.
Language is a vehicle that we use in presenting our ideas, thoughts, feelings, opinions to
the world. It is what we exhibit our cultural norms and orientations in and the whole essence of our
being is captured in our language. That is why whenever a country, people or race conquers the first
thing that will be affected will be the conquered people’s language.
Language and communication are different things that cannot be separated. Language is
surely the most important tool of communication that individual have at their disposal. This is because
it is language that permit people to communicate. The purpose of acquisition of Language as proved by
Chomsky is for communicative purpose. Other means of Communication have several weaknesses;
therefore, human language is the best means of communication.
THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE IN COMMUNICATION
If we believe that our language is what drives our value systems, then we say that language drives
our cultural orientation. Sapir (1921) holds it that: language is a purely human and non-instinctive
method of communicating ideas, emotions, and desire by means of voluntarily produced symbols.
This means that it is only human beings of all the creatures on the earth surface that uses
language.
The language that man uses is not something his biological make bequeath on him he learns this
language in a human community. We are not saying here that other beings do not communicate but it
is man alone that communicates with language. The nonverbal communication we talked about is
predicated on language.
Language is the vehicle that our thoughts are conveyed in. if our thoughts are conveyed in
language then our culture in conveyed too through it.

Purposive Communication
 Instructions:
Give three syntheses of what you have learned in this lesson. Be guided on the rubric given.
RUBRIC FOR GENERALIZATION ACTIVITY

5 4 3 2 1
Length 3-4 sentences 5-7 sentences 8 sentences 9 sentences 11+sentences
Accuracy All statements Most ideas are Some Few Most
are accurate correct and statements statements statements cite
and based on found from cite outside cite outside outside
the module the module information. information. information.
Paraphrasing No more than One sentence Two sentences Three 3+ sentences
four words in a contains more contain more sentences contain more
row are taken than four than four contain more than four
directly from words in a row words in a row than four words in a row
the module. taken directly taken directly words in a row taken directly
from the from the taken directly from the
module. module. from the module.
module.
Focus Generalization Generalization Generalization Generalization The main idea
consists of the contains the contains the contains the of the module
main idea and main idea and main idea and main idea is not
important some minor only minor only. discussed.
details only. details. details.
Conventions No more than 2-3 4-5 5-6 6+punctuation,
one punctuation, punctuation, punctuation, grammar, or
punctuation, grammar, or grammar, or grammar, or spelling errors.
grammar, or spelling spelling spelling
spelling error. errors. errors. errors.
researchgate.net/figure/Rubric-for-Assessing-Summary-Writing_tbl1_228608809

Write your synthesis here!

I have learned that …

SPEAKING IT MY WAY
In 3-5 paragraphs, reflect on the concepts presented in the module and connect these to your
personal experience of language by writing your Language Biography. This section tells the story of
your languages. Be reminded by the following guidelines in writing. Failure to follow will lead to
demerit of points.
FORMAT:
 Paper Size: Long (8.5 x 13)
 Font Style: Times New Roman
 Font Size: 12
 Margin: Normal
 Spacing: 1

Purposive Communication
 Rate this module using a scale of 1-10. One (1) being the lowest score and 10 being the highest
score. How helpful is this module in your everyday life?
o Rating:
o Why?

BOOK
1. Madrunion M., & Martin, I. (2018). Purposive communication using English in multilingual
context. Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc.
2. Caroy, A., Dela Cruz, A., Dizon, E., Jose, M., & Palangyos, A. et al. (2018). Purposive
communication. Quezon City: Lorimar Publishing, Inc.
INTERNET-BASED
1. Abainza, M. (2015). Language: Definition, Nature, and Characteristics. Retrieved August 11, 2022
from https://www.slideshare.net/eyenabainza/language-definition-nature-and-characteristics
2. Rehman, K. (2015). Language and Communication. Retrieved August 11, 2022 from
https://www.slideshare.net/sirhaseeb/language-and-communication-45330793

Purposive Communication