Introduction to language

1. Language
Prepared by:
Language Institute

2. Rate the
speaker from
1-10 as a
language
user of
English

3. Rate the
speaker from
1-10 as
language user
of English

4. OBJECTIVES
At the end of the session, students will
be able to:
• Demonstrate understanding of the
key ideas in language and
communication;
• Determine varieties and registers of
spoken and written language;
• Exemplify the richness and diversity of
registers used in written and spoken
communication.

5. What is Language?
Language can only be called if it
has a system of rules (also known
as grammar), a sound system,
(phonology) and a vocabulary
(lexicon).
(Madrunio & Martin, 2018 p. 3)

8. There are more than 7,100 languages in the world today.

9. PHILIPPINE LANGUAGES
• There are 183 languages in the
Philippines
• One national language
• 2 official languages or lingua franca
• 12 are declared official auxiliary
languages
• 35 of these languages are
considered endangered (31
threatened, 4 shifting),
• 11 are on the brink of extinction
• 2 are extinct.

10. Language Variety or
Dialect
A regional, stylistic, or social
variety of a language
characterized by its
own phonological, syntactic,
and lexical properties.

11. Language Variety
• Also called “lects”, these refer to the
different variants of a language that can
be sufficiently delimited from one
another in terms of social, historical, or
geo-spatial factors, thus forming
language clusters.
• In addition, language varieties may also
be grouped in the following
classifications:

12. PIDGIN
• Pidgin. It refers to a new
language that develops into
situations where speakers of
different languages need to
communicate but do not share
a common language.
• Examples are Chavacano in the
Philippines and Bislama, a
language spoken in Vanuatu.

13. Creole
• It is a pidgin that becomes
the first language of the
children, or the mother
tongue of a certain
community.
• Examples are the Gullah
and the Patwa, is a creole in
Jamaica.

14. Official Auxiliary
Languages
Auxiliary language -
refers to a particular language,
spoken in certain places, which
supports or helps the national
and/or official languages in their
assigned functions.

15. Dialect
• It is not a language that is not
distinct from a national language, but
rather a variety of a language spoken in
a particular area of a country.
Ex: Tagalog is a language with several
distinct varieties, such as Southern
Tagalog (Laguna, Batangas) and
Bulacan Tagalog, which are often
referred to as dialects.

16. Minority Dialect
• This is a variety used as a
marker of identity, usually
alongside a standard variety, by
the members of a particular
minority ethnic group.
• Examples are the Sinama of the
Badjaos in the Philippines and
the London-Jamaican variety in
Britain.

17. LANGUAGE REGISTER
• A language register is characterized
by the way a speaker uses language
differently in different social
circumstances.
• These are determined by such
factors as social atmosphere,
purpose of communication,
audience, and the general context of
the discourse.

18. FORMAL
• Formal. These registers are used in
professional, academic, or legal
settings where communication is
expected to be respectful,
uninterrupted, and restrained to
specific rules.
• Slang is never used, and
contractions are rare.
• Examples are registers used in
research paper, government
documents, business letters, and in
business presentations.

19. FROZEN
• It refers to historic
language that is intended
to remain unchanged.
• Examples are the registers
used in the Philippine
Constitution and the Holy
Bible
• Lord’s prayer, wedding
vows

20. CONSULTATIVE
• Consultative. It is used in
conversations when people are
speaking with someone who has
specialized knowledge or is offering
advice.
• Tone is often respectful, such as the
use of honorifics or courtesy titles, but
may be more casual if the relationship
between or among the communicators
is friendly.
• Examples are registers used in local
television broadcast or in a
conversation with a doctor during
medical examination.

21. CASUAL
 These registers are used
when communicating with
friends, close
acquaintances, colleagues,
and family members.
 These are used in birthday
parties or family
gatherings.

22. INTIMATE
• Intimate: Intimate language registers
are reserved for special occasions,
usually between only two people and
often in private.
• Examples are an inside joke between
two high school friends or sweet
nothings whispered to your “special
someone.”

23. Break Out Room
Activity
o The teacher will randomly divide the class into smaller
groups, each consisting of 4-6 students.
o In their breakout rooms, students will engage in
discussions about a series of statements. Their task is to
collectively determine whether each statement is true or
false.
o Students must briefly explain the reasons behind their
choice. Encourage them to draw on their knowledge,
experiences, and critical thinking skills to support their
arguments. They can also give examples.
o Each group will have a designated time (e.g., 10-15
minutes) to discuss as many statements as possible.
o After the discussion in the breakout room, the teacher will
bring the class back together for a brief summary. During
this time, each group can share their most compelling
findings and explanations. Each group may choose their
own representative

24. BREAKOUT ROOM ACTIVITY: EXPLORING
TRUTHS AND MYTHS
Language change is normal
All language speakers utilize various styles and possess a collection of subdialects or
jargons
Language operates by rules
Writing is derivative of speech

25. Discussion
• Each group is now encouraged
to present their most
compelling findings and
explanations.
• A designated representative
from each group will have the
opportunity to speak and
share their insights.

26. LANGUAGE CHANGE
IS NORMAL
• Each person went to his desk
• Each person went to his or her desk,”
• Now you can write,
• “Each person went to their desk,” which
doesn’t make assumptions about gender even if
the persons are generic.

27. LANGUAGE CHANGE IS
NORMAL
• The word dog was used to
refer to specific breed, but
now serves as a general
term for a quite varied
family of animals.

28. GAY
• This term has historically been used
for men specifically but is often a
more widely used term for both
men and women.

29. Speakers of all languages
employ a range of styles and
set of subdialects or jargons
• CASUAL STYLE depends on
social groupings.
• When people share
understandings and meanings
which are not complete enough
to be called intimate, they tend to
employ casual style.
• Casual style is reserved for
friend and insiders or those whom
we choose to make friends and
insiders.

30. Formal Style – lectures,
sermons, television newscast,
and the like.
All of us need to shift between
the intimate, casual, and
consultative styles in everyday
life, not because one or another
of these is a better way of
talking, but because each is
required in certain contexts.

31. JARGONS
• Each speaker uses a number of
jargons based upon his or her
affiliation with certain groups.
• The most familiar of these jargons are
occupational: doctors, lawyers,
accountants, farmers, electricians,
plumbers, truckers, and social workers
each have a job-related jargon into which
they can shift when the situation
demands it.

32. It is important to realize that a
language is not just an asset of a
culture or group, but of individual
human beings.
Our native language is the speech
of our parents, siblings, friends,
and community. It is a central part
of our personality, an expression,
and a mirror of what we are and
wish to be.
Our language is as personal
and as integral to each of us
as our bodies and our brains
and in our own unique ways,
we all treasure it.

33. Language operates
by rules
• Every speaker of a language is unique;
no one sounds exactly like everyone
else. The language differs from region
to region between social, occupational,
and ethnic groups, and even from from
one speech situation to the next.
• These variations are not mistakes or
deviations from some basic tongue but
are simply the rule-governed
alternatives which make up any
language.

34. Writing is derivative of speech
Writing systems are
always based upon
systems of oral
language which of
necessity develop first.
Of all the world’s
languages, only about
5 percent have
developed indigenous
writing system.

35. QUESTIONS?

36. Assignment
1. Define Communication: Provide a comprehensive definition of
communication and highlight its significance in various contexts.
2. Types of Communication: Identify and describe different types of
communication, such as verbal, non-verbal, written, and visual
communication, and their respective roles in conveying messages
effectively.
3. Explain the concept of the following: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal,
Extended, Organizational, Intercultural Communication.
4. Present various strategies and techniques to achieve effective
communication
Note: No need to submit the answers. However, your recitation during
discussion will be part of the class participation. (20%)