Definition and Important quotes about English language
Definition & Nature of language
Ø Language derived from a Latin word "Lingua" which means tongue.
Ø Language is for communication.
Ø Sound is the basis for language.
Ø Humans in ancient times imitated the sounds made by birds and animals Based on that be developed a system. This system is now called lg.
Ø Language is something very special which distinguishes the human beings from other animals (unique characteristic of humans)
Definitions
Ø “Language is the expression of thought by means of speech.” -Henry sweet
Ø "Language is the human expression, which is uttered out by speech organs" – Patanjali (Ancient Linguist)
Ø “Language is a set of human habits the purpose which is to give expression to thoughts and feelings and to impart them to others"- Jespersen
Ø “Language as a speech sound produced by human beings in order to express their ideas, emotions, thoughts, desires and feeling.”- Aristotle
Ø "Language is means of communication" – Christopher Sen.
Ø “Language is an arbitrary system of signs constituted of the signifier and signified.”- Saussure
Ø “Language is a purely human and non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions, and desires through a system of voluntarily produced sounds.”- Sapir
Ø “A language is a system of arbitrary vocal sounds used for human communication” – Wardhaugh
Ø “Languages are the principal communication systems used by particular groups of human beings within the specific society of which they are members.”- Lyons
Ø “Language is undoubtedly a kind of communication among human beings. It consists primarily of vocal sounds, articulatory, systematic, symbolic, and arbitrary.”- Derbyshire
Ø “Noam Chomsky says that language is the inherent capability of native speakers to understand and form grammatical sentences. A language is a set of (finite or infinite) sentences, each finite length constructed out of a limited set of elements.”- Noam Chomsky
Ø “The totality of the utterances that can be made in a speech community is the language of that speech community.”-Bloomfield
Important quotes about English language
Ø Language is one of the most important characteristic forms of human behavior. -Gleason
Ø English is our major window on the modern world. A we dare not to close the window, and if we do, it will danger for the future. -Nehru
Ø The language link is a great link- Nehru
Ø English is today one of the major languages of world and Indians can neglect its study only at the risk of loss to themselves. -Nehru
Ø English should be studied in high schools and universities to keep in touch with the living stream of ever-growing knowledge and it would prevent Isolation from the world - Dr Radhakrishnan.
Ø It is impossible for an Englishman to open month, without making some other Englishman hate or despise him. - G.B.Shaw in his preface to Pygmalion (1986).
Ø Man is man through language alone. -Humboldt.
Ø Words are like bottles that contain ideas, just as bottles that contain medicines. –H. Dippie
Ø Mother tongue is the basic of all words. -Ryburn
Ø English spelling is a national misfortune to England and international misfortune to the rest of the world. -Max Muller
Ø Spelling is caught rather than taught -W.S. Tompkinson.
Ø English is not only important in getting a better job, it is everywhere in social interaction. If you can't speak it then you are nobody. -Timothy J Scrase.
Ø You feel humiliated if you can't speak English, People think you are dumb. -Timothy J Scrase
Ø English is the language on which the sun does not set, whose users never sleep -Quirk.
Ø English is today a symbol of people’s aspirations for quality in education and fuller participation in national and international Life -Position Paper-NCP 2005)
o Language is often referred to as "the dress of thought"
o I have always felt that the true textbook for the Pupil is his teacher. -M.K.Gandhi
Ø A teacher is one who progressively becomes unnecessary for the learners.
Ø Teachers often credit the intelligence of their own children with their genes → Nature;
and
The intelligence of their students with their teaching → Nurture.
Ø If language structures make up skeleton of a language, then vocabulary that provides the vital organs and flesh. –Harner.
MCQs on Nature of Language and definitions/quotes:
1. According to Henry Sweet, language is:
a) A system of arbitrary vocal symbols
b) The expression of thought by means of speech
c) A purely human and non-instinctive method of communication
d) A set of human habits for expressing feelings
2. Who defined language as "a system of arbitrary vocal sounds used for human communication"?
a) Edward Sapir
b) Ronald Wardhaugh
c) Noam Chomsky
d) Ferdinand de Saussure
3. "Language is an arbitrary system of signs constituted of the signifier and signified." This definition is given by:
a) Jespersen
b) Saussure
c) Aristotle
d) Patanjali
4. Which linguist emphasized that language is "non-instinctive" and "purely human"?
a) Edward Sapir
b) Max Müller
c) Otto Jespersen
d) Wilhelm Wundt
5. Noam Chomsky’s definition of language focuses on:
a) Cultural transmission
b) The innate capability to form grammatical sentences
c) Social interaction
d) Emotional expression
6. "English is the language on which the sun does not set" was stated by:
a) Nehru
b) Quirk
c) Timothy J Scrase
d) Max Müller
7. Who said, "Man is man through language alone"?
a) Humboldt
b) Radhakrishnan
c) G.B. Shaw
d) Sapir
8. "English spelling is a national misfortune to England" is a criticism by:
a) Max Müller
b) Nehru
c) Gleason
d) Derbyshire
9. The quote "Language is the dress of thought" highlights:
a) Its symbolic nature
b) Its role in expressing ideas
c) Its arbitrary system
d) Its cultural transmission
10. "A teacher is one who progressively becomes unnecessary for the learners" emphasizes:
a) Teacher-centered learning
b) Learner autonomy
c) Rote memorization
d) Grammar drills
Answer Key
|
1.B |
2.B |
3.B |
4.A |
5.B |
6.B |
7.A |
8.A |
9.B |
10.B |
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