Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Language
ALMOST ALL EDUCATION IS LANGUAGE
EDUCATION.
NEIL POSTMAN
Language is rule-governed
When learning a foreign language, one of the main
Language is intended.
Although language is a form of communication, not
Nature of Language
What different functions does language perform?
Which are the most relevant in creating and
communicating knowledge?
What did Aldous Huxley mean when he observed
that Words form the thread on which we string our
experiences?
To what extent is it possible to separate our
experience of the world from the narratives we
construct of them?
Nature of Language
In what ways does written language differ from
Nature of Language
How does technological change affect the way
Theories of meaning
The following are three theories of what
Image theory
people.
Meaning as Know-how
Some say that rather than thinking of meanings as
Problematic meaning
Vagueness
Ambiguity
Secondary meaning
Metaphor
Irony
Vagueness
Many words, such as fast and slow are intrinsically
Ambiguity
Words and/or phrases have multiple meanings
Example: The duchess cannot bear children.
Ambiguity can be intentional to mislead people.
Secondary Meaning
Words have a primary meaning or denotation
Words have a secondary meaning or connotation
Connotation refers to the web of associations that
Metaphor
We use language both literally and metaphorically.
My brother is a butcher.
My dentist is a butcher
Irony
Saying of one thing in order to mean the opposite
communication.
Rather than saying we either understand something
or we dont, it might serve us better to say that there
are levels of meaning in language.
world wide.
We tend to think our own language fits reality.
What realities do we experience because we speak
English?
What would be the advantages and disadvantages if
everyone in the world spoke a single common
language?
In what ways does learning a second language
contribute to, and expand, your knowledge of the
world?
Problems (cont.)
Untranslatable Words: Every language contains
Problems (cont.)
Idioms: a colloquial expression whose meaning
Lost in Translation
What do linguists determine as criteria for good
translation?
Faithfulnesstranslation is faithful to original text
Comprehensibilitythe translation should be
comprehensible
Back translationwhen we retranslate a translation
back into its original language, it should be
approximate to the original.
language?
What would the world be like if there were no
written language?
How do children learn language?
Who would have the power in an oral society?
What would the world be like if only certain
individuals had access to written language?
Who has the power in a literate society?
Linking Questions
To what extent is it possible to overcome ambiguity