English Language and Linguistics

Language is an extremely important way of interacting with the people around us. We use language to let others know how we feel, what we need, and to ask questions. We can modify our language to each situation. For instance, we talk to our small children with different words and tone than we conduct a business meeting. To communicate effectively, we send a message with words, gestures, oractions, which somebody else receives. Communication is therefore a two-way street, with the recipient of the message playing as important a role as the sender. Therefore, both speaking and listening are important for communication to take place. Learning to use language in ways that meet the school’s expectations for advanced literacy tasks is a challenge for all students, but it is especially difficult for those who have little opportunity for exposure to and use of such language outside of school. Our schools serve students who speak different languages and dialects, who have
been socialized in different ways, and who face different kinds of challenges in their daily lives. Students whose cultural practices are similar to those of the school may be able to transfer those practices to the school setting, but students from other backgrounds may need to focus on the ways that language contributes to meaning-making as they engage in new socialand cultural practices in order to succeed in achieving advanced literacy.This ebook is a modest attempt to present in one volume all the important aspects of English Language and Linguistics. In all the discussionsin the book, we have the classroom teacher in view and have tried to offer practical suggestions for solving his day-to-day problems.