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THE RELATION BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND OTHER AREAS OF
KNOWLEDGE
By Helda Alicia Hidalgo Dávila
It is interesting noticing that the pedagogy of Languages is a multidisciplinary area
thanks to its varied nature. When teaching a language, the teacher should be aware of
the variety of relations a language implies in society. For instance, a language is related
to society and culture by means of the uses language is put to. That is why it is
necessary knowing not only the language that is going to be taught but also the areas
that influenced the uses that language is put to in a specific context and how it is used.
The task of a teacher, therefore, is knowing about what else can be implied in the
teaching process of a native and a foreign language. This article gives the opportunity
for students and teachers of languages to know the concepts that should be managed to
understand the jargon of language pedagogy as well as the relation of language and
other disciplines that intervene with languages.
CONCEPTS IN LANGUAGE PEDAGOGY:
Some concepts people involved in language learning should know are those that relate
to some kind of concept that has to do with the use of language. These concepts refer to
language:
First language: A definition of this concept is provided by Davis (2003) who argues
that a first language is that language a human being learns because he/she listens to it
from the moment that person is born. He adds that this first language of a person is
what provides the identity in society of that specific person. In other words this
language gives a person a sociolinguistic identity. Synonyms of this term are: native
language, mother tongue, primary language, stronger language. Any of these
expressions can be found in the texts related to language when talking to the language a
person first acquires in life.
Another term that can be found in the pedagogy of languages is Second Language
which is defined as a language learned after the first language. It can also be considered
an auxiliary language and can be used as a lingua franca (Hyltenstam, 1992).
Synonyms of this term are: non-native language, foreign language, secondary
language, and weaker language. The text usually use these terms in reference to the
language that is learned once an individual already has acquired one language as his/her
native.
It is also important to consider the point of view of Stern (1983) who indicates that
these terms above show a “subjective relationship” between a language and the group of
people who speak them.
Two other important terms are Acquisition and Learning. These terms are referred to
in relation to language, therefore, we get language acquisition and language learning. A
definition of Language Acquisition corresponds to the one provided in Bates et al.
(1998) who refer to language acquisition as the study of the processes through which
humans acquire language. Language learning refers to the formal process by which
people knows a language. For instance, students in classrooms usually learn a language
and they acquire the language in the community where it is spoken. This is the common
differentiation authors have established between these two terms (Pinker, 1994).
It is interesting how Stern establishes the relations between the terms and the context in
which the terms are used. Not only he provides a definition of the term but also relates
it to something else. Another example is the relation he makes between the terms:
Standard language, regional language, national language, official language, modern
language, classical language. This set of terms, according to Stern, refers to a social
relation to a group. Stern says they refer to a geographical distribution, to a social
function, to political status, to origin, to type of importance of a language that is used
widely to communicate.
With these differentiations in mind, it is possible to argue that as part of the definition of
these terms, their use in society and learning is fundamental to comprehend the texts
that derive not only from research in education but also from other areas of human
science that deal with language to some extent.
Another important language to know before developing research is the language of
Acronyms. The literature of research in language pedagogy is full of acronyms that
express a whole set of information. The following set of acronyms is easy found in
language literature and research:
L1 = First language
L2 = Second language
SL = Second language
FL = Foreign language
SLA = Second language acquisition
FLL = Foreign language learning
Other set of acronyms deal with the associations and styles in language study.
Here we have:
FLA = Foreign Language Association
ALA = Applied Linguistics Association
MLA = Modern Language Association
APA = American Psychology Association
ASOCOPI = Asociación Colombiana de Profesores de Inglés
AAAL = American Association of Applied Linguistics
EAP = English for Academic Purposes
EFL = English as a Foreign Language
ESOL = English as a Second or Other Language
TEFL = Teaching English as a Foreign Language
TESOL = Teaching English as a Second or Other Languages
A very important term in research in languages corresponds to the definition of the
word research itself. Research is defined as:
1- “Research is our key to the copious treasure chest of our past, the key to our
historical, cultural, political, theological and scientific heritage. When you begin
research, consider your good fortune in having an opportunity to unlock the distant past
as well as to assimilate the findings of recent weeks and days”( Todd, M., 2001)
This definition let us see research as a way to know about the past as a means to study
the findings that have been made through time until our own days. With this definition
in mind it is possible to establish relationships between past and present events to come
to conclusions and provide suggestions for the future.
2- Research is an endeavour to study or obtain knowledge through the use of a
systematic approach with the intent of clarification. This includes activities which
attempt to discover new facts, information, or new applications of existing knowledge.
http://www.nwtresearch.com/licence/definition.aspx
This definition makes emphasis in the task or work that needs to be done in order to find
something new in relation to existing knowledge. Therefore, it is possible to argue that
the basis for any research has to do with what already exist in the different areas of
knowledge. Pure investigation can happen in laboratory settings where scientists find
new knowledge. Nevertheless, the research that is developed at the level of a research
class is the application of the knowledge that already exists.
3- “Research is any original and systematic investigation undertaken in order to
increase knowledge and understanding and to establish facts and principles. It
comprises the creation of ideas and generation of knowledge that lead to new and
substantial improved insights and/or the development of new materials, devices,
products and processes. It should have the potential to produce results that are
sufficiently relevant to increase knowledge. Good reflective inquiry produces theories
and hypotheses and benefits any intellectual attempt to analyze facts and phenomena.
This search for individual facts or data requires an open-ended question for which there
is no ready answer. Data are gathered through experiments, surveys or other
methodologies”.
http://www.nipissingu.ca/research/downloads/DefnofResearchforwebsite.doc
This definition of research is the definition by which a council of research from the
Nipissing University regulates investigation inside the university. This definition makes
emphasis in the production of new elements of knowledge. Therefore, pure scientific
research can be implied.
The research process to be developed in the pedagogy of languages at the Linguistics
and Languages Department at Universidad de Nariño, can be understood as the process
by which students try to solve a problem found in their immediate educational
environment at the different levels of education. To solve this problem, students should
develop a case study and provide some suggestions for the way in which the study
contributes to solve the problem in some way.
Another definition to consider before starting a research process in the pedagogy of
languages is the one related to theory. The word theory has been assigned two
meanings. One meaning corresponds to the definition that applies to pure science and
the other one corresponds to human sciences. Observe the two following definitions of
the words that refer to science:
“A theory, in the scientific sense of the word, is an analytic structure designed to explain
a set of empirical observations. A scientific theory does two things:
1. it identifies this set of distinct observations as a class of phenomena, and
2. makes assertions about the underlying reality that brings about or affects this
class.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory
As it can be understood from the definition above, a theory in science applies to facts
that fall into a specific category, and as such becomes an assertion of the observations
developed by scientists. It is also possible to say that scientists are able to test the
theory in all of the cases that form part of the specific set.
Another definition of theory in science goes further to cover repetition of facts that are
observed and have gone some kind of experimentation providing the same results after
each repetition of the experimentation process.
“A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world,
based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and
experiment. Such fact-supported theories are not "guesses" but reliable accounts of the real
world (Popper, 1963)”. The theory of biological evolution is more than "just a theory." It is as
factual an explanation of the universe as the atomic theory of matter or the germ theory of
disease. Our understanding of gravity is still a work in progress. But the phenomenon of gravity,
like evolution, is an accepted fact.”
It is also possible to find a definition of the word theory in relation to humanities.
“Theories whose subject matter consists not in empirical data, but rather in ideas are in
the realm of philosophical theories as contrasted with scientific theories. At least some
of the elementary theorems of a philosophical theory are statements whose truth cannot
necessarily be scientifically tested through empirical observation.” (Popper, 1963).
There is an intrinsic relation between theory and research. According to Stern (1983)
they are totally related. Any research should be backed up by an existing theory which
represents a congruent body of knowledge. At the same time this existing theory makes
it possible the development of further research. Research can also be tied to questions
and hypotheses. These questions and hypotheses are an integral part of inquiry that
directs research in the process of getting date to confirm theories.
In this sense, it is also possible to relate language pedagogy and theory. Teaching a
language is a process that has been supported by theory and hypotheses that can be
verified by the research process. Any research in language teaching should start
making reference to theory in the field. It is common to see that research in languages
starts citing the theory that is behind general pedagogy, learning psychology, second
language acquisition and even sociology. For example, in the case a student wants to
develop research in the use of communicative strategies for developing listening
comprehension in children 7 and 8 years of age, it is a good idea to start reviewing the
theoretical assumptions about the learning stages of children who are 7 and 8 years of
age, and also the theoretical basis related to second language acquisition on the input
hypothesis. Another important theory to read about would be the linguistic theory about
competence and performance. In this way the researcher relates theory and research.
Stern (1983) argues in favor of the use of theory in research since a very well defined
theory helps the researcher to understand language teaching and its relation to other
disciplines. In this way, the researcher can identify that language teaching is immerse in
the theory of education, social policy, national and international politics, linguistics,
psychology, sociology and humanities. The idea of recurring to theory is that teaching
and research becomes more meaningful and therefore more comprehensible in the
processes that should be followed in both teaching practices and research findings.
When focusing on language teaching, it is necessary for the student teacher to have
some knowledge of the nature of language. In order to know about this nature of
language, the teacher should ask about the view of language that is implicit in a theory
of language teaching (Stern, 1983). To know about this concept, the teacher can recur
to linguistics, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics and the descriptions and analysis of
particular languages.
It is also important for the teacher to focus on the learner and the nature of language
learning (Stern, 1983). For the teacher to acquire this knowledge, there are some
disciplines that can help him/her such as: psychology, language acquisition (L1 and
L2), and language use. In the same way, language teaching requires knowledge about
the teacher and the process of language teaching. The subject matters that take the
teachers to this knowledge are those related to education such as: pedagogy, language
didactics, and TESOL.
Apart from those discipline above, the teacher needs an understanding of the context in
which learning and teaching take place. Here, three aspects need consideration. One
aspect corresponds to the identification and analysis of the language. This aspect
implies knowing about the first language of the student and the target language for the
student. These two languages take place in a specific social, cultural and political
contexts that have influence in the language learning process. The subject matters that
give information about these contexts are: social sciences such as sociology,
sociolinguistics, social psychology and cultural anthropology. A second aspect
corresponds to the educational setting. It means, it is necessary to identify the role of
the language in the educational system. It also means knowing about the place the
language is assigned in the educational context. This knowledge is provided by subject
matters such as education, pedagogy, sociology, and sociolinguistics. The third aspect
corresponds to the language teaching background. This aspect has been forgotten in
the language disciplines maybe due to the origin of this knowledge. This aspect implies
knowing about the historical background of the language that is studied or taught. The
history of language pedagogy is a very important knowledge for teachers and students
of languages because this knowledge can provide them the basis for developing research
and relating it to past experiences. The focus on the history of languages and language
teaching and the state of the art of the language disciplines can provide this background
knowledge.
It is possible to come about with a list of disciplines that have an influence in language
teaching and research and therefore should be considered when trying to get conclusions
on research. A list adapted from Stern (1983) is presented in this section for
consideration and complementation by the student who is interested in developing
research in language pedagogy.
Subject matters:
History of Language Teaching
Linguistics
Sociology, sociolinguistics, anthropology
Psychology, psycholinguistics, language acquisition
Education
At the practical level the following list of aspects can be considered for research:
Methodology:
Objectives
Contents
Procedures (Strategies, techniques, activities)
Materials
Evaluation
Organization:
Governmental planning
Administration
Primary, secondary, higher education
Education of adults
Education of language teachers
Formal and informal education
Also, the following topics can be addressed:
- The language learner and language learning processes
- The language teacher and teaching
- The environmental context of language teaching and learning
- The methodology and organization of language teaching
- Language in general and specific language description
- The culture related to the specific languages
- The society in which every language takes place
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bates, E., et al. (1998). "Innateness and emergentism". A companion to cognitive science
(Oxford / Basil Blackwell): 590-601.
Davis, A. (2003) The Native Speaker: Myth and Reality. New York: Multilingual
Matters, Ltd
Hyltenstam, K. (1992). Non-native Features of Near-native Speakers: On the Ultimate
Attainment of Childhood L2 Learners. In R.J. Harris (Ed.), Cognitive Processing in
Bilinguals (pp. 351–367). Amsterdam: North-Holland.
Pinker, S. (1994). The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language. New York: Harper
Collins.
Popper, K. (1963), Conjectures and Refutations, Routledge and Kegan Paul, London,
UK, pp. 33–39. Reprinted in Theodore Schick, (2000), Readings in the Philosophy of
Science, Mayfield Publishing Company, Mountain View, Calif., pp. 9–13.
Stern, H. H. (1983). Fundamental Concepts of Language Teaching. Oxford University Press.
Todd, M., (2001) In Defense of Jewish Social History. Jewish Social Studies, new ser.,
vol. 7, no. 3. pp. 52-67