3. The language arts are commonly classified according to the
tasks involved such as: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
These tasks may in turn be classified as receptive (listening and
reading) and expressive (speaking and writing). Another way of
classifying them would be as oral activities (listening and
speaking) and written activities (reading and writing). Such as
variety of possible classification schemes attests to the
commonality of the skills among the various language arts.
In the early childhood years, listening and speaking are closely
linked. Listening is a major avenue of learning. Through listening,
children acquire knowledge of their world translated into
language. They learn vocabulary through repeated associations
of objects and their vocal symbols; they assimilate syntactic
patterns by hearing those patterns spoken over and over.
4. Although very young children do not speak in the whole
sentence patterns that they hear, research indicates that they
are, nevertheless, thinking in sentence equivalents. As their
language performance develops, they gradually expand their
beginning minimum utterances to include all the surface
elements of adult language. Listening provides the models for
oral language development.
The similarity of skills among the four language arts makes
learning in one area complementary to that in another area.
Although each task may involve different cognitive processes,
many skills involving language and thought are used in all
language arts activities. In both reading and writing for
example, children use their knowledge of such things as
vocabulary, inflected form of words, sentence structure, and
punctuation.
5. The four categories - listening, speaking, reading and writing -
are shown as having overlapping sets of skills and abilities which
operate within a universe of language. Cognition, at the center
of the universe, is reflected in both the content ang the process
of using language. It is the mind that controls our capapcity for
knowing and thinking and that allows us to organize and share
knowledge through the language system.
7. Language is the key to all human activities. It is the vehicle through
which the world can be understood and appreciated; without
language, people are isolated and helpless (Gertude Boyd, 1976).
Language is a conscious or unconscious part of nearly everything we
do. It is a personal matrix for receiving, processing, and sharing ideas
and information.
The need for language is a basic premise underlying language
teaching and learning. Language permits functional and creative
exploration of the world of meaning by allowing us to communicate
with others and with ourselves. Competency in langauage is a
prerequisite for productive and satisfying experience.
9. The use of language arts are derived from the needs and
customs of a given society. In addition to using language
to think, to communicate information and to direct
behavior, we use language in social and very personal
ways. Langauge is an important aspect of human
relationships. Consider its use in greetings, conversation,
organizational meetings, ceremonies and informal
written communications. It is also used as an expression
of emotion, as a release from tension, as reaction, to an
emergency and as a means of sharing unique personal
perceptions.
DeStefano (1978) gives seven universal functions of
language originally identified by Halliday (1975):
15. Language is used for establishing
relationships, defining them and
maintaining them. It is also used for
participating in social behavior.
"Will you play with me?"
"Let's go for a walk together."
23. Language is used for conveying
information.
"I've got something to tell you."
24. To be competent users of language,
children need to be aware of its
functions and they should develop skill
in using it for different purposes . A
balanced language program gives
attention to the full range of language
functions. Through many activities,
children discover the relationships of
language choice and language
function and become flexible and
competent in using language
appropriately.
