LANGUAGE
HISTORY OF LANGUAGE:-
Language remains the greatest unparalleled force between groups of people.A nation may comprise of a number of religion but in fact they have a common dialect which binds them together.
Language is defined as a method or style of expression and a signaling system which operates with symbolic ,vocal sounds and which is used by a group of people for the purpose of communication and social co-operation.
It's not a hereditary nor is it a gift of nature.It's the work of man's grown out of his own need to express thoughts,emotions and experiences.It deserves our respect and love.It gives us beauty, knowledge, wisdom and food for thought,will and ego whether it is spoken or written.It's like a magic by which out of nothing we create so much.
It's the fundamental need of all species to communicate with all the groups.Although each person is an individual in himself,he needs for his well being a group life,communication and understanding that is why he brought language to his life.
The word language is derived from a Latin word lingua which means tongue.The lingua is simply a collection of different sounds which by themselves and in them have no particular meaning.Even the combination of sounds had no meaning,but different meanings were given to different sounds,which resulted in language.Till the time before man could communicate through any agreed way there was a long period of very slow development.Slowly and gradually man learned to convey his thoughts and experiences.
Every child has a mission at birth, to build from his time,place and group which he accomplishes with the help of nature. In the first period of unconsciousness absorbent mind,nature is at work. i.e the child absorbs what he needs in the environment.During the conscious absorbent mind though nature is still at work the child is now endowed will certain powers to sit,walk and speak.By the time the child is four and a half years,he has absorbed all the kinds of sensorial impressions from the environment.The whole world is now opened to him and he has the special ability to linkup with the environment ,to come out of the natural features of development and go into one created by man.
IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE:-
Without language there would be no communication and group life would have been impossible language distinguishes man from animal.Man is called a thinking animal and thinking is not possible without words. Man is also called or tool making animal and the most important tool he has made for himself is language.
FUNCTIONS OF LANGUAGE:-
1-Language is used for expressive purposes to relieve your emotion through the use of words.
2-A philosopher uses language as an instrument of expressing his thoughts.
3-Language is also used for simple communication to strengthen the bound cohesion between people.
4-The most important function of language is that it enables us to influence people's behavior leading to co-operation.Language always belongs to a group therefore it has to form speech communities.
ORIGIN OF SPOKEN LANGUAGE:-
Primitive mans' language was an imitation of natural sounds like the cries and shrieks of animals.The evidences which are put forth are that there are so many words which are similar to the sounds of animals example:Cuckoo,Quack etc.Language may have arisen out instinctive emotional cries example:Joy or Pain.
There is an apparent mysterious harmony between sound and senses and primitive man had a natural tendency to give vocal expressions to an experience.Language arose out of noises made by man when they started working in collaboration with each other's force.In this theory our previous ideas are combined namely that sounds are originated from vowels and consonants.Alternating it involves that language development of human co-operation is directed towards a meaningful activity and finally the language is originated from commands.
Another theory is that both language and music originate from sounds.the gestures theory is that a great many gestures must have proceeded before language evolved.The contact theory suggests that language originated from man's tendency for contact with another fellow beginning with simple sounds.Cries,calls,words and symbols.
ORIGIN OF WRITTEN LANGUAGE:-
There is a wide gap between spoken and written language.All written languages are made up of marks "symbols on letters".Language today stands for the sound of letters.Writing of the broad sense of graphic symbols of a specific thoughts probably begins with marks and impressed by fingers,nails upon soft clay to adorn or identify pottery.Writing was usually a form of drawing.Man used pictures to express thoughts and Historical events.the pictography themselves departed more and more from the original form and grew more and more conventional and finally made letters.The symbol became letters that stood for separate constant sounds of the language.
Early alphabets had only capital letters, small letters were used to save time.
DEVELOPMENT OF SPOKEN LANGUAGE ( 0 TO 3 YEARS ):-
Man has an inherited tendency to communicate.He wants to share his ideas and experiences.The sharing idea is our heritage.Though the pre-mature man had no language during the stone age yet he expressed himself and communicated through gestures,cries of alarm or passion etc.man due to his super intelligence transformed the meaningless sounds into meaningful words.Language is a fusion of sounds to which a group of people gave specific meaning to a specific word.Initially the language started from a KINSHIP i.e the words father mother daughter and son etc,giving meanings towards within a family.
TWO MONTHS
The baby is attracted to human sounds as he moves his head towards the speaker.
FOUR MONTHS
He becomes aware that the sound is coming from the speakers mouth.He watches intensely and tries to imitate the movements of lips.
SIX MONTHS
He is shocked to know that the sounds are coming from his mouth. Soon he recovers and produces his first syllable and later continues to babble for a long time.
TEN MONTHS
The child of ten months has noticed that the language around him has meanings.He also realizes that words have special meaning therefore he tries to imitate and follows the words.
Before the child reaches one year, two things happen to him with regard to language:
1. With the depth of unconscious mind he absorbs and understands language.
2. Then at the height of consciousness he creates language, but of that particular level. His articulation is not perfect. It takes time to be perfect.
TWELVE MONTHS
The child of one year utters his first intentional word. At this age when the child brings out language comes the struggle of the child as he is not able to articulate what he wants. The language at this stage comes not in lucid sentences but 'in jerks; When the child begins to say words, they come in a rush form; first the wordings, then phrases and finally the sentences.
ONE AND A HALF YEAR
The child of one and a half year onwards speaks effusive language. He cannot separate the words in order of articulation.
ONE YEAR AND NINE MONTHS
More clarity comes in the childs language and child builds up more flow in his speech.
TWO TO TWO AND A HALF YEARS
Development takes place rapidly and there is an explosion of words. This is the time when the child must be heard and addressed intėlligently otherwise he is likely to develop speech problems for e.g. stammering. At this stage the child has vocabulary of three to four hundred words.
THREE YEARS ONWARDS
The language goes on enriching the child's hunger for words is insatiable. The program is not a strict one but if he is not guided properly slight deviations might occur.
THREE TO FIVE YEARS
The development of language goes very, fast and the language of the words goes on very fast upto four to five hundred words and very soon his vocabulary touches approximately five thousand words .The reason why Dr. Montessori insists on sending the child to a prepared environment is because we have to help him at the time when the sensitive period of language is at its height. True, nomenclature can be given through nomenclature cards of those words to be used in future.
We start introducing language to the child by following the sequence written below.
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