BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Pablo Borbon Main I, Batangas City
s

Reflective Essay

Linguistic Variation

Linguistic variation is central to the study of language use. In fact, it

is impossible to study the language forms used in natural texts without

being confronted with the issue of linguistic variability. Variability is

inherent in human language: a single speaker will use different linguistic

forms on different occasions, and different speakers of a language will

express the same meanings using different forms(Benjamins, 2002). They

are reflected in every language variety’s pronunciation, vocabulary,

grammatical constructions and syntax. Different factors affect how a

language is spoken within a country. They can be regional geographical,

ethnic, and social. All these factors are interrelated. People who are based

in the same geographical region and are related may have unique ways of

using language that reflect their close relationship and this language may

not always be transparent to others (Wolfram 2014).

 According to Crystal (2003), non-native speakers of English

outnumber native speakers of English. Therefore, it is important to

understand that no variety is superior over another variety, and develop an

increased tolerance for all varieties of English. The variation of language

does not only cover both the users but also the contexts and the

addressees of the language that affect the code variety. Consequently,

some people are more aware of some factors like how they communicate
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to people who they often and will meet and what are the contexts of the
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communication whether it is formal or informal situation in order to

 BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Pablo Borbon Main I, Batangas City
s

maintain politeness or to show to what particular social class the

speakers. Learning about of linguistic variation will certainly give

advantages for learners in purpose of learning and understanding more

about the language variation. I believe this will make them understand how

to use the language in different situations whether it is formal and informal.

This will also give us the knowledge on know how use the correct

expression or to answer the question properly due to whom they are

speaking. Moreover, by learning and understanding the language variation,

students will build up their confidence to use the language appropriately

and comfortably. It can also avoid miscommunication due to

inappropriateness usage of a word. For educators, They will have the

opportunities to know what they must do, what approach should be

employed in order to arise the students awareness to the issue above to

maintain politeness, to avoid the misunderstanding, and to improve their

academic of language in order to get better opportunity of study or

occupation in future.

References:

Benjamins, J. (2002). Using Corpora to Explore Linguistic Variation.

Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-linguistic-variation-

1691242

Crystal, D. (2003). English as a Global Language (2nd ed.). Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press.

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Essays, UK. (2018). How Important Is Language Variation Towards

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Language English Language: Essay. Retrieved from

 BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Pablo Borbon Main I, Batangas City
s

https://www.ukessays.com/essays/english-language/how-important-is-

language-variation-towards-language-english-language-essay.php?vref=1

Wolfram, W. (2014). Integrating language variation into TESOL:

Challenges from English globalization. In A. Mahboob & L. Barrat (Eds.),

Englishes in multilingual contexts – Language variation and education.

Dordrecht:

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 BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Pablo Borbon Main I, Batangas City
s

Reflective Essay

Phonetics: The sound of Language

Phonetics is the study of linguistic sounds, how they are produced

by the articulators of the human vocal tract, how they are realized

acoustically, and how this acoustic realization can be digitized and

processed. When looking at the phonological system of an individual

language, we limit our study to those sounds which are perceived by

speakers as distinct and capable of indicating some grammatical

significance. Sounds which meet these criteria are called phonemes.

Linguists use the IPA to represent phonemes but indicate that they are

phonemes by placing them between slashes. In general, it is only

necessary to use phonemic transcription when studying the English

language Thus, the word fish is rendered /fˆß/ (US /fˆš/). This is called

phonemic transcription. Most sounds in human spoken languages are

produced by expelling air from the lungs through the windpipe which is the

trachea and then out the mouth or nose. The movement of the air can then

be manipulated by the anatomy of the mouth and throat to produce

different sounds.

Phones are divided into two main classes: consonants and vowels.

Both kinds of VOWELS sounds are formed by the motion of air through the

mouth, throat or nose. Factors should be considered in order for you to

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produce the correct sound of a word: place of articulation, manner of

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 BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Pablo Borbon Main I, Batangas City
s

articulation, vowels, intonation, syllables, lexical stress and schwa sound.

Now why do we need to know every aspect of this.?

Having the knowledge on every aspect of phonology will eliminate

the error committed whenever we utter a specific word or even a specific

sound. In this context we will have an effective and efficient way of relaying

the message to the person whom we’re talking to. This will also provide us

an effective communication skill so that learning the language will be

easier to grasp and be learn.

References:

Darrell Larsen: Phonetics Linguistics 101 Retrieved from:

https://udel.edu/~dlarsen/ling101/slides/Phoneticshandout.pdf

http://psych.colorado.edu/~kimlab/JurafskyMartinCh7Draft.pdf

http://www.csun.edu/~sk36711/WWW2/engl400/phonol.pdf

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 BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Pablo Borbon Main I, Batangas City
s

Reflective essay

Teaching grammar: Deductive Approach

Grammar is considered to be the most important part in learning

foreign language. Without a good knowledge of grammar, learners’

language development will be severely constrained (Richards and

Renandya,2002). That’s why such approach emerged in teaching

grammar.

A deductive approach involves the learners being given a general

rule, which is then applied to specific language examples and honed

through practice exercises.  It is a teacher-centered approach to

presenting new content. This is compared with an inductive approach,

which starts with examples and asks learners to find rules, and hence is

more learner-centered. The deductive approach may be suitable with lower

level learners who need a clear base from which to begin with a new

language item, or with learners who are accustomed to a more traditional

approach and so who lack the training to find rules themselves. This

approach of teaching English grammar refers to the style of teaching

students by introducing the grammatical rules first, and then applying them

by the students. This means that a teacher works from the more general to

the more specific in a deductive approach called informally a "top down"

approach. Decoo (1996) understands education as a process that goes

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from the general to the specific. In the deductive approach a grammatical

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rule is first presented explicitly by the teacher and examples applying the
 BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Pablo Borbon Main I, Batangas City
s

rule will follow. Next the students practice the rule with various kinds of

exercises, for example drills and translation into and out of the target

language. The deductive approach is also often compared with other more

traditional methods of grammar teaching. It aims at teaching various

grammatical rules one at a time through presentation and explanation by

the teacher. Moreover, it is seen to facilitate the learners’ acquisition by

“making learners notice structures that they might not otherwise have

noticed” (Ellis 1993,).

Since several approaches emerges and claimed to be effective,

however I believe an effective approach I teaching grammar to students

relies on the method and strategies of the teacher. Teacher should always

consider the differences of every learner specially their learning styles and

capabilities in order to provide an effective teaching and learning process.

References:

Decoo, W. 1996. The induction-deduction opposition: Ambiguities and

complexities of the didactic reality. IRAL – International Review of Applied

Linguistics in Language Teaching, 34(2), 95-118

Ellis, R. (1999). Input-based approaches to teaching grammar: A review of

classroom-oriented research. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 19,

64-80.

Inductive and deductive grammar teaching: what is it, and does it work? 24

April 2015 by Oxford University Press ELT

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 BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Pablo Borbon Main I, Batangas City
s

Limris Gorat & V. Luluk Prijambodo. (2013). The Effect of Using Deductive

Approach And Inductive Approach In Teaching English To Students On

Their Conditional Sentence. Retrieved from: 232392-the-effecto-of-using-

deductive-approach-13bd52e3.pdf

Richards, J., & Renandya, W. (2002). Methodology in Language Teaching:

An Anthology of Current Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University.

Wang, P. (1999). English Grammar Instruction in Taiwan: Student and

teacher attitudes. Unpublished thesis. (UMI 9960674)

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