Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Language


helloooooo!! Oooopss.. was absent from this blog for like. weeeks??
ahh sorrry!






This is Mr. Murali.
haha!












Anyway, this was what we did in tutorial class on the 3rd week of our semester!







This activity was based on the topic of the week which was LANGUAGE!











Presentation time!




LANGUAGE.
Almost all human beings acquire a language.
Firstly,



WHAT is Language?



It has been said that language is the very essence of what makes us human. If we are to fully understand what it means to be human, then, we must understand what language is, how it works, and how we use it.





Figure 1







  • Figure 1 shows that Language is more than just communication. It is the primary method which we do things together.


  • Language is the accumulation of shared meaning - of common ground.


  • Language is common to all humans. We seem to be “hard-wired” for it.


  • Language is the mental faculty or power of vocal communication.


  • Language is a set of rule for generating speech.

Language is a process every child learns from birth, and we continue to use it until our death. Because of this we are able to expand our knowledge and evolve as a society.
Language is a common thread between people, animals, and technology in a community or a particular nation. Being universally understood is central to the communication and way of life of people in a nation. Without a common language there could be no communication between the citizens of that nation. Furthermore, things could be chaotic without language. For example, imagine a stop sign without the word stop.











THE NATURE OF LANGUAGE

The nature of language is the nature of human thought and human action, for language is no more nor less than the tool of both of these aspects of human nature.
a) Language is Symbolic

Sign Language is a visual means of communicating using gestures, facial expression, and body language. Sign Language is used mainly by Deaf people and people with hearing difficulties. There are various sign languages spoken around the world. These distinct language includes:




  1. American Sign Language


  2. British Sign Language


  3. French Sign Language


  4. Danish Sign Language


  5. Chinese Sign Language


  6. Japanese Sign Language


  7. Mayan Sign Language
1. American Sign Language is a complete, complex language that employs signs made with the hands and other movements, including facial expressions and postures of the body. It is the first language of many deaf North Americans, and one of several communication options available to deaf people. ASL is said to be the fourth most commonly used language in the United States.








i love you!







2. British Sign Language

Within Britain the most common form of Sign Language is called British Sign Language (BSL). BSL has it's own grammatical structure and syntax, as a language it is not dependant nor is it strongly related to spoken English. BSL is the preferred language of between 50,000 - 70,000 people within the UK.









3. French Sign Language

French Sign Language (langue des signes française or LSF) is the sign language of the deaf in the nation of France.




4. Danish Sign Language
The population of Danish Sign Language is 3500. Some signs are related to French Sign Language.




5. Chinese Sign Language

Modern Chinese Sign Language (simplified Chinese: 中国手语: traditional Chinese: 中國手語: Hanyu Pinyin (vowel tone marking): zhōng-guó-shǒu-yǔ: Hanyu Pinyin (number tone marking): zhong1 guo2 shou3 yu3, CSL) developed around the 14th century. Similar to all sign languages and languages in general, CSL has several dialects, of which Shanghai is the most prominent. Aspects of the sign language relate to Chinese character signs.





6. Japanese Sign Language

Japanese Sign Language is a distinct sign language with unique vocabulary and grammar. It is related to Taiwanese and Korean sign languages.




7.
Mayan Sign Language

Maya sign languages are used inMexico and Guatemala by Maya communities with unusually high numbers of deaf inhabitants








THE POWER OF LANGUAGE


Words can inform our mind, caress and comfort our feelings, excite and thrill our spirit, or warm and kindle the flame of our hearts. They can also slap our face, punch us in the stomach, rattle our nerves, kill our desire, or destroy our self-confidence. Of course this is metaphorical, but these metaphors capture in words our physical reactions to what is said, and that is the power of language. It can emotionally move and affect us as powerfully as physical actions.






















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