Arnaldo F.

Carganilla BSE 2B

SEE 5

1. Why language is considered as systematic? Cite an example which can support your
answer.
Answer:
Language is a medium of communication and we use language to communicate with
others for us to be understood. Language is an important element of communication
therefore we must know how and when to use it properly. Language is systematic in a
sense that it follows a certain pattern so that we can understand it. It follows a step by
step pattern to identify the meaning of what others was saying. Say for instance the
syntax, in which it is a part of linguistics that studies sentence structure. It may be in
word orders, agreements, complements and hierarchical structures. Syntax helps us to be
more organized in language because without a proper order in language then it will be
difficult for us to understand one another. In sentence patterns, there must be both subject
and predicate; the one who was talking about in a sentence then the one who tells
something to what was talking about. Being systematic in language is like following steps
in cooking adobo; we cannot put first the ingredients that are designed to be put in the
last because if we do so then we will just make a mess. Language has its own pattern
depending on a place in which language is used. The pattern here in the Philippines is
different from the pattern in America and as well as in Japan and Korea. Follow the order
of the language for us to understand one another.

2. What is the meaning of quotation “Birds fly, Fish swims and People talk”? Explain how
the quotation is related to the theory of Noam Chomsky.
Answer:
The quotation states that all living things have their distinctive capabilities in which each
living things were designed to do something that only them can do. Birds can fly because
they have body parts that were designed for flying i.e. wings, wing bones and strong
muscles. Fishes can swim because they have body parts that they used for swimming i.e.
 gills, fins, scales, and tails. And as for humans, they have body parts that they used for
talking i.e. larynx, pharynx, diaphragm, vocals and other speech mechanisms. It was
clearly stated that each living things were born with different capabilities and therefore
must be developed. Birds were born to fly and not to crawl, fishes were born to swim and
not to walk and humans were born to talk and not to hum. Actually humans are not born
talking. Instead, we typically learn to understand the language and so speak during the
first few years of our lives. Noam Chomsky proposed the innate theory. This theory
claims that babies are born with the knowledge that languages have patterns and with the
ability to seek out and identify those patterns. Just like the birds and fishes, it is an innate
biological function of human beings to learn the language like learning to walk. Though
children have the innate ability to learn the language as stated by Chomsky, we still need
to learn and develop the language we acquired by social interacting with environments
such as adults, teachers, friends and other peers.

3. Explain the statement: “We, people, add pages to the dictionary. Not the concrete things
we see, feel, hear, taste and touch nor the abstract things we think.”
Answer:
The statement states that no one can add pages to the dictionary but only the trends in the
society. We must not focus in what is in the box, instead focus in what is happening in
the box. It means that the words that have been added in the dictionary do not based in
what can be seen, heard, felt, tasted, and touched nor the abstract things but by the
influence of this generation. As we all know that language is not constant, it changes. The
words that we use today may not be accepted tomorrow, and the words that are not
accepted before are now accepted today. Words in the dictionary change as time passes
by. It is not about the concrete or the abstract but about on the trends in the society;
words that can be used and can blend in to the 21st century society.
 Arnaldo F. Carganilla BSE 2B
SEE 5

1. Explain how the 12 types of language differ from one another.

Answer:

Language is used for us to express our feelings and to communicate with others. This language
we use has 12 types and though they are almost the same when it comes to their characteristics
but are still differ in some ways. Argot is almost synonymous to jargon, cant and slang yet argot
was used to hide criminal activity. Jargon for instance was used in a specific profession and Cant
was used in a specific group or community, same as argot and slang, it only differs in a way that
its purpose is to exclude non-users. Slang however also exclude non-users but unlike cant,
culture is involved in slang. Dialect is almost the same with vernacular because they both used in
geographical areas, what makes them different to each other is that the vernacular is our native
language while dialect is our mother tongue. Lingua Franca is used to communicate with other
people living in different geographical areas. Pidgin is using two or more language that leads to
reduced and more simplified form of vocabulary. Creole however is a more sophisticated pidgin
in which 2 languages have already merge in the middle to form new language. Patois is like a
lingo in which language is used in a specific community but lingo can be used in small or big
group of people unlike patois, because it is only used in a small group in which the language is
inferior in a group or community. As we have noticed, all types of language were almost the
same but they just become different on when, where and how they are going to used. Place is one
of the factors why each types of language differ from one another; when we use it in our
province, it is called dialect but when we use it to communicate with foreigners, it is now called
lingua franca. How we use the language is also another thing because argot and jargon were
almost the same but how they are used make them different from each other; argot is for hiding
criminal activity as for jargon is for specific profession. Though we have many types of
language, everyone has only purpose why they are using these types of language, it is to
communicate with others and of course to be understood.