Module 2

Techniques on how to become an Active Listener

1. Stop talking

2. Control the surroundings

3. Establish a receptive mindset

4. Listen for main points

5. Make effective use of lag time

6. Listen between the lines

7. Judge ideas not appearances

Importance of Language

• Language is the key to all human activities. It is the vehicle through which the world can be
understood and appreciated

• It is the conscious and unconscious part of everything we do.

• The need for language is a basic premise underlying language teaching and learning.

• Competency in language is a prerequisite for productive and satisfying experience

Language Functions

• The uses of language are derived from the needs and customs of a given society.

 DeStefano (1978) gives seven universal functions of language originally identified by Halliday
(1975)

1. Instrumental Language

2. Regulatory Language

3. Interactional Language

4. Personal Language

5. Imaginative Language