UNIT 1 WHO ARE THE LEARNERS OF

LANGUAGE? - 1
Structure
1.0 Objectives
1.1 lr~troduction
1.2 The Central Role of Language in Human Society
1.3 Socialization : the Leaniing of and Culture
1.4 Differelit Contexts and Setti~~gs
for Human Leanliiig
1.5 Tlie Versatility of the Hu~rlanLearner: the Crucial Role
of Leilrning in Development
1.6 The Lean~er'sRole in Leanling: Persolial but Not Fixed
Characteristics
1.7 k t Us Sum Up
1.8 Key Words
1.9 Suggested Reading
1.10 Answers

1.O OBJECTIVES
Our ainl in this unit is to give you insights about
the centla1 role of language in human socie.ty
@ the role of the learner's environment in the leanling process

the role nf different coutexts arid settings for humall leanling

the leaniers' ow11mle in the leanling process.

1.1 INTRODUCTION
- --

This unit is the f i s t one in a block which deals almost entirely with learnel-s of language.
Tlle c o u s e as a whole is co~lcenicdwith the leanling and teaclli~igof languages, with
special reference to English. Before we enter into a serious discussio~~ of the teaching of
languages, we need to try and understand some things about learners : their capabilities and
niotives and expectatiot~q. When we think of education aiid ii~structio~i and especially of
designing syllabuses and tmining teachers, we have an image of learners, especially
children in our minds. This image tends to present them as p i ~ s i v ereceivers of whatever
we provide as inputs through l r s s o ~ aand courses. Psych~logistshave co~iductedliundreds
of experinlents (using both humans and animals as 'subjects') and have discovered or
formulated various geneml 'laws' of learning. Ct~rriculun~ specialists have tried to apply
these laws or principle.$ to 'design' an effective cuniculuni -- one that is likely to be
successful a ~ efficient.
~ d The most important co~~sideratio~lin the success of a curric-ulu~u
is of coulse urliether the lean~efi(or pupils) have learnt ill1 or most of v:hatever they were
supposed to learn.
As we will see later in this unit, a great deal of leanling takes place even without iiliy
pla~uledand deliberate teaching. This learning includes not only purely physical activity
like walking or swiul~rungor riding a bicycle, but also mattets which i~ivolvethe 'mind'.
The leanling of the first language without much obvious evidence of 'teaching', by nearly
every young child in every human comtnu~uty,is perhaps the best exaniple of this.
The knowledge that societies have accumulated and which various adults (specialists) have
nlastered needs to be pased on to the young. Children are riot born with this knowledge.
Most of it has to be passed on through the process of education in which this knowledge is
packaged in the form of school 'subjects'. And nlost school sub-jects have to be huglit by
teachers in the fonilal school, at least to begin with, and usually for tllally years. Language,
especially the mother tongue, is a striking exception to this general rule. As already
mentioned, children learn to speak their mother tougue (at least) long before they enter
fonnal school. Also, many persons who have dropped out of school, and even those who
have never been to school at all, are quite fluent users of the language (sonletimes
languages) of their particular communities. Of course such people may not be able to read
and write (i.e. haudle the written form of the la~~guage); but they have ~llasterediilost of the
complex gramnnur, an extended vocabulary, and important aspects of organizatiou, and even
style of the langi~agethey speak.
The principle that emerges fro111 these facts is that the learning of the languages
commonly spoken in the community in which individuals live is a much wider process
than what is prescribed and taught in school or college. Since there is no clearly
identifiable agency 'outside' the school that is doing any 'teaching' of language, we nlust
cooclude that hunlan learners of language have sollle special capacity to learn language.
Beginning dith this first unit, we will try to understand something ahout this powerh~l
capacity to lean1 language that seems to be a part of human nature. We will focus on
learners of lalgwage -- their abilities, their styles of leanling, their sources of no ti vat ion,
etc. We should be ahle to uqe these ideas in the 'language syllabus design and language
teaching methodology' we want to formulate. Language instn~ctioncan be made highly
effective if we are able to tap the rich resource represented by the hu~rlanlearner's
trenlendou? capacity to lean1 language, and build on it.
This fi~stunit has the question6Whoare learners of langu;ige?' as its title. We are not
interested here in factual information of the type that goes into individual bio-data sheets or
survey reports -- boystgirls, urban/rural, English mnediu~il/Regionallanguage medium,
~~~onvlingual/hilingual and so on. Such chricteristics are of coune iniportant, especially
wllen we are plalu~ingi~lstructionfor particular target groups. Here we are lllore iuterestecl
in the capabilities and resources that language learners in general have. We shall begin by
reviewing the role of language in human affairs and go on to look at the leanling resources
that nle111be1-s of the human society have.
('heck Your P r t ~ g ~-s1s
I. Humau leaniers have a special capacity to lean1 languages.
Give at least two reilsolls to support this claim.

2. How cilll the capiibilities and resources of language learners be exploited for language
teaching? Besides reading section 1.1, you nlay use your own experience in writing
the answer.
 Who a r e lbr I,ea~nel->
of Lsuyuapr?-1

1.2 THE CENTRAL ROLE OF LANGUAGE IN HUMAN

SOCIETY
The use of language as the priri~ary1rlean.s of cotti~t~unication is one of the defiuing
characteristics of the 11u111anspecies. Many anillla1 species also use signs of various types
to co~~~municate or convey infc>nnation(see unit 5 of this coucse). But these sig~isystems
are very sirilple and inflexible. They are very far removed from the complexity and
versatility and creativity that goes with hulilali or natural laliguagcs. 71le primary position
of language (especially speech) in thr life of mi~nkilidis highlighted by the expressioli
'talking allin~al:that is son~elimesused to describe hunial~s.
This cenlral role of con~municationthrough ~ ~ i ~ t 1'1nguage
~ ~ r i l l in hum;ui sociiil life is madc
possible by the fact that all hiunan individuals are able io handle or operate the language (or
languages) of their societies. This is so obvious that we si~rlplytake it for granted. But it
is useful to note that there is an ilrlportant principle here. Nearly everyme iu ally society is
a competent and effective language user. This applies to all normal hunian beings. Only
that tiny proportion of the populatioii of ally country with major physiological haudicaps
(brain damage, inental retanliltion, deaf~lessand dumbness) remaill unable to use language.
The learning of the ~iiothertongue or first lauppage (Ll) is a slow and long drawn-out
process. It is difficult to sily when a pemon hils fi~llymastered hidher L1 and so has
finished leaniilig it. Further, many people learn niore than one language. This is
especially true of 111ultilinpal societies like ours; and wit11111oder11communication
breiiking down national/lingiiistic boundaries, leanling foreign languages is i~lsobecclming
increasiligly common. These additio~lal1;lnguages too ilre leanled slowly (even if there is a
crash course) aud like the L1, co~l~plcte 1r1asler-y1s llever attained. Thus it is possible to say
that for praclical purposes, everyone is a lal~guagelearner.
Check Your I'mgress 2 -
1. What is the differeac-e between animal and human com~nunication? -

3. Do you agree with the stiltenlent that human hcings never 'finish' learning any
language, even their nlother t ~ n g u e ?Give reiiSOrn for your i~nswers.

i 1.3 SOCIALISATION : THE LEARNING OF LANGUAGE

ANDCULTURE
The growth and develop~llentof the human child into an adolescent and later an adult
, involves two parallel a ~ interlinked
~ d processes. Olie is physiologic.al growth or milturation
This is supported r~tailllyby liutrilioll and exerci$c (the ingredients of good Iicalth) and

i
lxotwt ion froill physical liann. Tile sccond and n~oreconlplex process is the psychologic I 1
growth of the individual. Tllis is an inlportant aspect of social developnient: the process
whereby the helpless i ~ l f i igradually
~~t beconles an independent and actively participating
nlenlber of hisher corn~llu~uty.A functioning n~enlberof hun~ansociety is an iildividual
who is able to interact arid conlnlu~ucateeffectively with others -both directly with
individuals, and nlore indirectly with the conmunity in general. This is made possible hy
the use of language. Thus one major requirenlent that lllust be met as the child grows is the
leanling of the L1. A member of society is also a person - an individual with a unique
co~nbinationof characteristics that make up hisher personality. Among these
characteristics are personality traits, intqrests, abilities and talents. (Remember that we
often refer to a small baby as 'it' even when we know whether it is a boy or a girl. This is
because we have not yet begun to 'see' this child a s a person).
The long and slow process of psychological and social developnlellt of the chiId i3 called
socialization. Man is often described as a social a ~ u n u lOne
. very obvious reason for this
is that human beings usually live together in families and wider comnlunities. But this is
not always true. Remenlber here that in the folklore of most co~n~nullities there are
inlportant characters who are wanderers and henilits and outcastes. These are i~ldividuals
who do not have ally link with or claim lo helong to a particular community. And we find
such people in n ~ o d e nsocieties
~ too. The nlore in~portantand interesting aspect of IIUII's
social nature is related to how it is formed. AIIi~ldividual'spersotulity and behaviour
pattents ilre deternlined to a large extent by the culture in which hisher early socializition
took place. The hulllat~infant is bonl with the potential for developing in a vast nunlber of
different ways. The culture into which s h e is bom functions as an envimnment which
provides the opportunity and support for leanling various things associated with heing a
person and nlernber of society. At the same time it restricts what is learnt by the child .
Thus the language the child is exposed to in the home and neighhourhood beconles the L1,
and the culture of that particular conlnlunity is what the child Iean1.5 a ~ l daccepts as his/her
own. Thus the language and culture of the comnlu~lityin which socialization takes place,
influences the social nature and identity of the individual in important ways. A child hss
very little choice in these matters. It is only after we have beconle socialized and learnt
how to live in society (how to operate the system, in other words) that we can begin to rebel
or become refomlers.
A renlarkable feature ot the process of learuing the L1 is that it occurs quite naturally and is
managed with a high level of effectiveness. This strikes us as truly amazing when we note
that this learning of language takes place without any conscious planning and effort going
into "teaching" it. Various persons around the child - both adults and other childre11 - help
i111d support this L1 acquisition process, but there is no systematic teaching. We cilll state
another principle now. Every child learns to speak his/her L1 quite effectively, even wilhout
plantled and organised teaching. Of course after the child goes to school, a great deal illore
leanling takes place u ~ ~ d'ei r~ ~ ~ t m c t iespecially
o ~ ~ ' , readiug and writing. But this
c u m c u l u ~-l bascd
~ teaclung is based on what was learnt earlier through the natural
process of socializiition. We should also remember here that not everyone goes to school,
and of those who do start, quite a few do not stay there nlore than a few years. Eve11so,
such persons with little or no schooling are quite effective users of the spoken form of t h e ~ r
L1. It b worth noting here that in nlatly societies, and this is especially true of all parts of
India, children grow up in communities where more than one languagc is comn~only
spoken.
('heck Your Prog-ess 3 -
1. a. The two processes in the growth a ~ development
~ d of il child intcl an dull are I

b. The process of socialization involves

...........................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
 Who are the Learners
of Langttaye?-1
3. What is Ll? How is it 'learnt' by a child?

-
1.4 DIFFERENT CONTEXTS AND SETTINGS FOR
HUMAN LEARNING
The total process of socialization as ~ l ~ e ~ ~ tabove
i o ~ ~isevery
d long-drawn-out and slow, and
it covers a coniplex and comprehensive set of activities. Through these activilies the culture
of the society - customs, values, attitudes, language(s), folklore, knowledge and
skills/technology, etc. - is passed ou to each new generation. These ongoing and naturally
occurring activities foml thc most conunon context for human learning. Children are
i~lvolvedin these activities, hul lnany of them are not specially designed for children -
young children arid teenagers arid adults all take part. These largely ilifonllal social
activities can be contrasted with the more planned and organized operatiol~sassociated with
schooling 01- fonnal education.
Schooling, especially because it it spread out over many years is of course a part of the
broader process of socialization. The overall purpose a i d effect of both are virtually the
s:lnle. But tlie organized and co~aciouslyiniplemenled activities of schooliiig call he
placed in a separale catrgory bec;~useof certi~inspecial charticteristics they hiive. One
obvious feature of schoolilig is that a few specially desigliated persols function as teachers
and e.11ildrea (learners) go to specially set up places called the class!-oom where
is expected Lo take pli~ce.In lhe conlext of school, children hiive a special
teilc.tiing-lciin~i~~g
opportuility (and reslwlsihilily) to learn. They are expected to pay attelitio~iand he serious
and try hard and s o on. This school-related inlage of the child is indirated by the ten11
p~lpil.This is ii useful label, i ~ n dwe shall use it here to disting~~ish
between two roles that
children usually Iiavc. They are always 'learners' in ge~ieralbecause they are involved in
the processes of ~ocializalioli. Sometimes they are also 'pupils' - wllo are l e a n ~ i ~
from
~g
leathers in class.
A sccmnd importanl as1)ec.t of scliooli~igis tllat only sortie specific lypes of kliowledge and
skill (selected fro111 the total cultural heritage o t the society) are covered in the prograouue
of i ~ i s t r u c t i oi'c>llowed
~~ there. These selrcted areas co~lstitiitethe cu~-~-iculum.Cellain
other ~ypc'soi'iic~ivity ;Ire 1re;ited as extra-culricular. As we all know, quite often these are
things thal children find more ~ l l e i ~ ~ l i ~and ~ g interestillg
fi~l than what is in the curriculum o r
'portiolis to he covcred'. Tlie fonliality of scliooliug requires that what is in the
sylIi~bus/tin~rtable has to be 'done' on a given day, not what seems Inore interesting and
elljoyable for the pupils. And tlieri there are illally tllii~gswhicli are always treated as
outside the eoncerns o f the school. k i l n l i n g in these ;Ireas is taken rillp of by the agencies
o t socialization. o r special school-like ii~stituti~x~s.
Schools aiid c.olleges (espec.ially tlieir classrooill and laboratories) represent a very highly
st~ucluredformill co~itextfor Irar~ling. There are other contexts where the degree of
organizatiou and fonuality is lower. We f i ~ these ~ d in the extra-cunicular activities of
school and ill si1uil:lr activities related to the l i o ~ i ~a e~ ~irighbourl~oocl.
~ d So~tleexanlples
are: sports and games, cultural prc>griimmes,guides and scouts activities, excu~sions,visits
to uluseunLs and exl~ihitious. These activities arc see11 as broadly c5ducative: l h e is ~ the
hope that cl~ildreliwill hexletit (learn) in various ways. But tllere is riot a deliberate plan to
'lei~ch'(iilld tesl) lollowing il syllabus, as in the c l i l s s ~ sclting.
o~ Further, these activilies
are 1101 colnpulsory. Children's interests are take11illto account.
Therc is a tl~irdtype of context we are all fan~iliarwith, where tliere is co~tsciouseffort to
Ic:~ln;111dsolllcthing wc would call 'instnlction' is taking plil~e,but Ihe 'arrt~npcnlrnts'iire
I~ighlyinformal. A falllily friend (11ot a p r o f c ~ s i o ~ ~fulictioning
al) as a lttusic tracllcr or
\(10r14 coach or drivirig ~~i\lnrclor would couir u~iclcrthis c;rtcgory. Wliat is signiLic.a~~t is
1 h : ~ l\ o ~ ~ ~ c . onri1h
i i c Inom skill o r knon~ledgris l r y i ~ ~c ~g ~ i s c ~ i ~10
i i stielp
l y and guidc il Icariier
with less shility iilitially to gain more of it, with tlie cooperation of tliis leanier. An olddbr
child trying to 'teach' a younger one llow to fly a kite, or ride a bicycle or to play car&
woi~ldbe good examples of this type of highly inforillill but purposeful and eflortf~~l sclliiig
for learning. The ilidividual practisiiig so~i~ething (cycling. singing, reciting) or doing
honiework or revisiug for a test: is also leaniitig in tlus i~iforlilalhut p l a n ~ ~ eand
d scrio!~<
manner.
Wc have briefly looked at tlie variety of contexts and settiugs ill which lranri~igtakes
11lac.e. What is of interest i~tliat lear~uiigseelm to occur quite successfully in all ol'tlicnl.
We have another principle to recod now. Hunliin learrlilig takes place in a wide v;lric.ly of
ways. (There does not seem to be ally basis for saying there is a best co~itexlaiid mctliod
or eve11 tliat some are better iliaii oiliers). Makiiig fine distinctio~~shetwceli scliooliug and
socialimtion, or between fonllal and inl'onllal settings is not of ;lny in~porti~ncc in itsell'.
Tliese categories were uscd as a Iileals of clarifyiiig some ideas in the discussion ahove. i n
fact, as our experieiicc tells us, ally real or ~iaturalleaniilig situaiio~iwil! llave s o ~ n eformal
and some inlonilill aspects. We need not worry about placing then1 ~ieiillyinto one
category or the other.
Check Your P m p s s 4 -
1. Human learning takes place in a wide variety of wiiys.
Discuss threr co~itcxtsin which cliildrel~fonrlally lean1 ccrtain skills.

2. What is the difference between a 'learner' and a 'pupil'?

1.5 THE VERSATILITY OF THE HUMAN LEARNER :

THE CRUCIAL ROW OF LEARNING IN DEVELOPMENT
One o f the points that calrle up in our earlier discussio~~ was that the cluld is horu with
potential. The envirr9nment -representing opportunity to learn -plays iin important
rule in determining how this potential is fulfilled. The best example of [his is how ihe
of the child deteniiiiies which om (anlong the hulidreds aud
liiiguislic enviro~l~rle~lt
th~)usalidsof languages ti~is-orany child could learn) colnes to play the role of Lhc L1.
It is possihle to resju)nd to this pessimistically by siiyillg that we ilrc viclilns of fiile, i ~ l dtli:li
tlzere is iio real human freedom. But surely tlie more intereslng and exciting principle wc
filid here is that hunlan ~iatureis highly plastic and ;~dilptable,and not predctennilled as is i ~ ;
the ciise with animals. Most anirnal hehaviour is illstilictive or biologically
pre-determined. All mea~hersor a species will sliow the same palten~sof lichaviour if
 Who are the Ixamew
of Language?-1
developinent has been normal. For hurtun beings, on the other hand, variahillly and
individual differences in psychological and social behaviour are the nonn. We are born
with potential which develops in widely differing ways for each of us. It is only at the
physical or physiological level that behaviour pattenls are essentially alike. Nearly all that
goes into our human nature - ideas, beliefs, attitudes, likes and dislikes, hopes, fears, mental
and physical abiiities, and so on - is the result of learning in i~lteractionwith the
enviromuent.
A very important point here is t h ~thet environment that helps to shape the nature of the
person is not fixed. Both the p h y s i ~ da l ~ dthe social environnlent of ill1 illdividual call and
does change. A young child's family can inove fro111o l ~ elinguistic community to another,
or froin living as a snlall single child family into a large joint bmily set up, or fro111a snlall
village to a large i~llpersonalurban centre. The possibilities are virtually infinite and many
actual changes do keep occumng. The young child especially has to be able to adjust -
which means learn - to new physical aild social surroundings. Thus the important principle
relating to the environnlent and learning is that hunlans have a tre~lleiidouscapacity to learn
and keep leanung. This versality and flexibility is crucial for our survival in drastically
changing envirolunents. If we relied largely on fixed and instinctive behaviour patterns we
would be unable to cope with new surrou~ldingsby changing our behaviour. This is why
the plasticity of human nature is so ilnportant. It is the essential fou~~dation on which the
diversity and richlless of whilt we call huinan civilization has developed. The aip;~cityto
learn n~entionedabove is also very effectively applied or utilized by nearly all li~inlan
beings of all ages. (We are not oilly talking here of a vague h o p like "A large country like
India has the potential to win 20 gold 111edalsat the Olyrupics".)
As we look at lallguage teaching n~oreclosely in later units of the course, we will find Illany
references to the problems and difficulties that learners have, and the challenges these pose
for teachen and c*uniculumdevelopers. It might be useful tlien to era11 this powerful idea:
leanli~igis going on all the time alld in various ways and for lrlost lcanlers it is quite
successful.

1.6 THE LEARNER'S ROLE IN LEARNING : PERSONAL

BUT NOT FIXED CHARACTERISTICS

Two very general principles which enlergr fro111 the earlier disoussioli are that huiiun
learning is very effective aild that leanling is based on interaction with the eovironn;e111.
This might lead us to think that leanling is entirely inallaged or controlled from the
'outside'; or, in other words, that i~earlyallything call he taught to liumai~beings hy
providing the necessary 'teaching inl~uts'. Tl~eseiliputs are tlie itlodels for imitation, the
illustrations and demonstrations, thc explanatiom, ctc. that be typical teacher pro-~idesto ;i
class ofpupils. But such a view of Irarning ('controlled froin the outside') would be quite
inaccurate. Leanling is NOT simply a matter of ahsorbi~igwlmt is ~nadeavailable as inputs,
like a sponge soaking up watcr. The lean~eris a key factor in de~enlliiiingwhat is leanled,
liow it is leanled and how fast. Tltrre are various principles or laws which have bee11 found
to apply to the processes of learning. (Some of these will be discussed Illore fiilly in Course
3). Here we shall just note that various characteristics of the Ieanler will influence what and
how he or she lean~siu a given leanling situatioi~or when faced with a set of inputs. Every
teacher finds out very sooil that this is true. When something is taught or presented to a
class, all the pupils do not 'take it in' or lean1 it in the salrle way or to the sanle extent. Tlle
nature of the individual pupil sreirl to be an itnportant factor. Another geueml fact ahout
learning (that teachcrs know only too well) is that 'what is learned' is not quite the sanle i1s
'what is taught'. Thus learning is s t ~ ~ n ginfluenced
ly hy the unique individual
characteristics ot' the learner. This applies botli to ii~fonnallearning and to fonnal Ieanliug.
The iillplicatio~lsof this 'learner factor' is that we caliliot understand the process of lei~r~ling
without a fairly adequate picture of the ii~dividuallearner.
In other words, we c.annot holx to lnake pla1111edii~structiol~ very etfective if we do not
match it with the p~ipil'scapacity to cope with lhe new 'item' of l e a n u ~ ~and
g hidher
receptivity to it. We slnll use tlie tenn readiness for specific new leanui~g11ere to denote
this cornbination of abilily a ~ i dattitude that the lean~rrbrings to each new leanlirig
The Language Learner '

situation. Judging the readiness of pupils with sensitivity and hiloring instryction to fit
well with it constitutes the central challenge in syllabus cor~tructionand in teaching.
A very inlportant feature s f this 'learner factor' is that it is based 011 the very large store or
reserve of learnt abilities and attitudes and interests that every learner has. We are not
dealing here with the general and stable characteristics of individuals that we are nlore
familiar with, such as body build, geueral health and niental ability (i~ltelligence).These
chancteristics do affect leaning, but only in a genenl and predictable way. Our concern
here is not these features, but lu~owledge,abilities and attitudes and interests that have
developed and continue to be developed as a result of exposure to the enviornment and
the learning this generates. The large and constantly expanding store of such items
represent a learner's special resources - or readiness - for new learning in particular areas.
Sometimes, when a new topic is the focus of leanung, there might be in the learner's
background store, a small cluster of specific itenls of knowledge and skill, and high interest,
which can be of help and provide a boost to learning in this particular area. For example, a
child who is exposed to the tools and procedures of carpentry in the honle or neighbourhood
might pick up some highly specific knowledge about sizes and shapes and also develop an
interest in this broad area. Sorne time later when certain topic5 in geonletry are being ti1ke11
up in class, this child will be a 'good' learner even if s h e is generally 'weak' in subjects
like algebra and physics. Here we can say the child's specific I-eadiness for the topics in
geometry have acted as a special advantage and given the learning process a boost.
It is easy to see that this can happen in relation to a wide range of areas in which there is a
leanling requirement. Thus we can think in terns of a large variety of possible specitic
readiness. The store or reservoir of abilities and attitudes which is the basis of readinessiis
built up slowly and steadily a s exposure to the environnlent leads to learning. Its size and
richness is not linked to general characterktics like intelligence in any in~portantway. h
fiict the resource represented by readiness can help a lemler be quite successful in learning
at least in some areas, even when hisher general progress at studies is not very good.
A word of caution .i necessary here. The learner's past experiences (which nlake up the
store we have talked about) will not necessarily be an advantage in every case. Someti~nes
there may be nothing that is of any special help to nlilke a given iten1 easier to learn.
Sometimes, the individual's background might even be a disadvantage. This happens when
an individual lacks some specific iten1 of knowledge or skill which individuals of that age
or in that class are ,assumed to have. Clearly this is a matter of chance to a large extent, ils
it is the exposure or opportututy to lean1 that is the cause of the deficiency. If an itidividual
does not know something many othels happen to lulow, this -mlot be treated as il reliable
indication of hisher being unintelligent or a poor leamer.
There is a seco~ldway in which the learner's background store call have a negative
influence! This is through the developmnent of a negative attitude (for example, a lack of
interest) towards certaiu activities or topics as a result of 'unhappy' earlier experieuces.
Many of us woi~ldknow of cases where an individual's interest in something has been
'killed' by an u~li~tspiringor illsensitive teacher, perhaps eve11 a hawh and tneau one. The
general principle here too is that the individual's p e ~ o ~ l ipattern
ll of Ica111t knowledge iind
attitudes can affect future leanling. On the whole however, we can say that the variety of
specific elements that go into the store of resources of each individual is more helptill and
advantageous than harnlful, iis a factor in the learning process.
To sum up, the learner factor we have discussed above is a highly tlexible and changing
one. It is personal, but it is only marginally related to stable qualities like intelligence and
perso~nlitytype. (These qualities appear to be strongly influenced by heredity, and so iire
coltsidered to be wlatively unchanging). What nmttew ll~ostas far as effect on leanling is
co~lcenledis the wide (and ever-increasing) range of itelus -abilities and attitudes - that
hil\le been learnt. This influence of past learning 011 new learning is a p~inciplethat helps
us to u~idewtandwhy hu~~lail leaniers are so vewatile. In nlaliy new a ~ i dchalle~iging
situations, the learning of each individual is supported by the store of resources built up in
the past, not only by the 'inputs' provided. An inlportant consequence of this is that an
iudividual's leanu~igpattenl i5 highly pewoualized, but it is also dy~ianlicas the resource.
for learning :ire ccmstantly developing. This is sonlething we need to renlember while
planning il curriculum.
 Who are the Le-err.
of Language?-1
Check Your P r u p s s 5-
I. 'What is learned' is not quite the same as 'what is taught'. As a teacher, what are the
leanler factors that you notice that i~ifluer~ce
leanling'?

2. What is 'readiness'? Whqt are the ways in which this factor can be used effectively by
the teacher in the learning process?

3. How are the leanier's past experiences both advantageous as well as disadvalitageous
to the learning process?
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4. Read this section again and pick out tlie~iainpoints discussed in it.
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The Lnngnage Learner

LET US SUM UP
In this first uilit we have noted the great capacity for leaniillg thqt human beings have.
Most huinaii behaviour, especially social and cultural behaviour is the result of learning: it
is not instinctive and thus predetermined. The learning of language (a seemingly
nevere~idi~ig activity, is the best exairiple of the treinendous versatility and vitality of the
human learning processes.
We have also seen that leariiing is a highly individualized process. Eich person's unique
leanling history has a strong illfluelice on what aiid how silie l e a r ~ from
~ s a given situation.
The notioil of readiness for new leanling in a specific area is relevant here. A critical
feature of readiness in this sense is that it is the result of learning and so is ~ ~ l i ~ t i i ~ l t l y
chaiigiiig and developing, This tends to reinforce the differe~lcesbetween individuals (ill
the satrie class for imtaiice). Pul even iriore iinportaiit colLsequence of chaiigiiig readi~~ess
is that the same person nlay function differently (as iI learner) in different situations and a s
time,passes. A pnpil's status as a 'good' or 'poor' learner is therefore not fixed and
geiierally applicable. For each new occasion for leanii~igthe iudividual starts witli a fresh
conibinatio~iof knowledge, skill and attitude tliat can make the levels of ilivolvenient and
success quite differelit froiii those of other occasioi~s. 'This point carries a very i~iiportailt
lessoil for us. We should iiot prejudge a pupil's leanring capacity on the basis of 1iisfhe.r
past record (or what is more coninion, 'reputation'.) A pupil who has been weak in sollie
subject area need not remain tlmt way always. As riew topics are taken up, the value of that
pupil's readiness iiiight change sig~iifica~itly and there could be ;I spurt of successh~l
leaniiug. The opposite might also happen sometimes.
As we shall see through various 1111itsof this course, the leariiing of lal~guageinvolves a
wide variety of tasks aiid cognitive operations. (This vilriety is much greiiter for language
than for the typical subjects of the school and college cumculum.) I11 designing and
implementing a syllabus for teaching a language (English), which is one of the main topics
of this course, the professiollal aim is always to adjust teaching inputs to the needs (or
readiness) of the learners. We have seen hem how difficult it is to pin down leaniers and
arrive at a definite and stable description of their learning ability. There are
leanling-related differences across individuals and withiii the sanie individual. This lilight
seem to be bad uews as far as effective syllabus design goes. However, the iliaill poii~t
eniergi~igout of this unit is that the capacity Lo learn languages that huii~anbeings of all
ages have is solliething tnlly remarkable, a l ~ dthis is put to good use even when there is no
teaching to support it. What we need to do is make the 'situatioi~s'of syllabus and
teaching-based leanling more like the varied natufiil liaiigui~gelearning situatiolls which we
know of. We have not collie to any definite answers to our 'who' questions. But we have
a sense of the capabilities of leaniers of lailguage in general, even while rccogiiizing their
individuality. I11 the second unit which follows we sliall look at solrie of [he colnlnoii
features that are shared hy meiribers of various 'groups' of leaniers. The differences across
these types will be iln important consideriition in planning instruction. Planners must keep
asking: 'Which type or types of leanlers are being targeted by the syllabus being develop?d?'

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1.8 KEY WORDS
bilingual a persoil who b o w s a i d uses two or inore languages.
curriculun~ an educational programme which states :
a) the educatiolial purpose of the programme (the end to he achieved)
b) the context, teachiug procedures which will he iiecessary to
achieve this purpose ( the m e a ~ a )
c) evaluation pnlcedures to see whether a progniiiirle has heel1
successful or not.
first language generally a person's mother tongue or the language acquired first.
input (in language learning) language which a learner hears or receives
and froill which s h e can lean1
 Who are the Learners
o l Language?-1
monolinguul a person who knows and uses only one language; a person who
has active k~~owlexlge
of ollly one language, although s h e tiiay
have a passive knowledge of others.
multilingual use of three or more l a t i p g e s by ail itidividual, or a group of
speakers of a particular region or a nation.
syllabus a descril>tionof the conte~itsof a course of itlstructiot~and the order in which they
are to be taught

1.9 SUGGESTED READING

Aitchison, J. 1983. The Articrtlate Mammul. An hltrc~ductionto Psycliolingiistics. London:
Hutchimon.
Kumiir, Krishna. 1989. Social Character oflearning. New Delhi: Sage
Siat~ti,G. atid Ugwuegbu, D.C. Educntionnl Psycho/oOa,in a Cltanging World Lolidon:
Utiwiti (also ELBS edition)

1 ANSWERS
Check Your Progress- 1
1. i) Every young child in e,very human community learns hisfher mother tongueffint language.
ii) They lean] their ttiother tougueffirst language whether they get any formal schoolit~gor not. I11 fact they lean1
to speak the mother tongue long before they go to school.
Clieck Your Progress - 2
1. At~ilnalcotlu~iunicationsystetii is sitnple and inflexible. Hutilal~latiguage ability, on
the other h n d , is complex, versatile and creative.
Check Your Pn)gess 3 -
Refer to 1.3 for the answers.
Check Your Progress 4 -
Look at 1.4 for the answers.
Check Your P r r ~ p s -5
s
1. Read 1.5 for the allswer.
2. See 1.5 for the atlqwer. But here are some clues:
Readiness refers to the receptivity of a learner (in terms of ability, attitude and interest)
to learn a liew iteni.
4. Here are points we have culled out. You inay i~icludesome more.
i) leanling iq strongly itifluenced by the unique individual characteristics of the learner.

ii) planned instruction (which includes the syllabus and the teaching methodology) must
tnatcli with the pupils' capacity to cope with it, i.e. must take into account 'lean~er
readiness'.
iii) Learner 'readiness' includes the pupils' knowledge, abilities, attitudes and interests
which sfhe brings to leanling any new iteni. This is constantly changing and
developing in a lranier.
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iv) The lear~iersfpupils'experience can be both advantageous as well as disadvantageous
to the learning process.