Review of Linguistic Components of Language
Review of Linguistic Components of Language
Review of Linguistic Components of Language
REVIEW OF LINGUISTIC
COMPONENTS OF LANGUAGE
Pidgin and Creole
• The word pidgin refers to a language used as a means of
communication between people who do not share a
common language.
• The word pidgin derives from a mispronunciation of the
English word business. The term “Pidgin English” was first
applied to the commercial lingua franca used in southern
China and Melanesia, but now pidgin is a generic term
that refers to any simplified language that has derived
from two or more parent languages.
• When a pidgin develops into a more complex language
and becomes the first language of a community, it is
called a creole.
• The vocabulary of a typical creole is supplied for the
most part by the dominant language, while the grammar
tends to be taken from the subordinate language.
• A pidgin is nobody’s natural language; a creole
develops as a new generation grows up speaking the
pidgin as its main language. The grammar of a creole
usually remains simpler than that of the parent
languages, but the new language begins to develop
larger vocabularies to provide for a wider range of
situations.
Understanding Prescriptive vs.
Descriptive Grammar
Prescriptive grammar describes when people focus on
talking about how a language should or ought to be used.
One way to remember this association is to think of going
to a doctor’s office. When a doctor gives you a prescription
for medication, it often includes directions about how you
should take your medication as well as what you should
not do when taking your medication. In a similar way, a
prescriptive grammar tells you how you should speak, and
what type of language to avoid. This is commonly found in
English classes as well as other language classes, where the
aim is to teach people how to use language in a very
particular (typically described as ‘proper’ or ‘correct’) way.
Descriptive grammar, on the other hand, focuses
on describing the language as it is used, not saying
how it should be used. For example, think about a
prescriptive rule like Don’t split infinitives. A
descriptive grammarian would see a sentence like
“To boldly go where no man has gone before” and
would try to describe how the mental grammar
can cause that ordering of words, rather than
saying that the surface form is faulty due to
prescriptive rules (which would require the
sentence “To go boldly where no man has gone
before”). Linguistics takes this approach to
language.
Synchrony and Diachrony
• Synchrony and diachrony are two different and
complementary viewpoints in linguistic analysis.
A synchronic approach considers a language at a
moment in time without taking its history into
account. Synchronic linguistics aims at describing
a language at a specific point of time, usually the
present. By contrast, a diachronic approach
considers the development and evolution of a
language through history. Historical linguistics is
typically a diachronic study.
Difference between Oral Communication
and Written Communication
Words play a crucial role in communication process, to
transmit the message in the way it is intended to be conveyed.
When words are used in the process of communication, it is
known as verbal communication. Verbal transfer of information
can be performed, orally or in written form.
• Oral Communication is the oldest means of
communication, which is most commonly used as a medium
for the exchange of information. It involves gathering or
disseminating information through spoken words.
• Written Communication, on the other hand, is a formal
means of communication, wherein message is carefully
drafted and formulated in written form. It is kept as a source
of reference or legal record. Below are the important
differences between oral and written communication in
tabular form.
BASIS FOR ORAL WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATION
Meaning Exchange of ideas, Interchange of message,
information and opinions and information
message through spoken in written or printed
words is Oral form is Written
Communication. Communication.