LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND SOCIETY

Lesson 1: A Quick Look at

Language, Macro Skills and
Communicative
Competence
ACQUISITION
In understanding others' thoughts and
emotions, we need to communicate. In so doing, we
can express our feelings and ideas and we can be
better understood. This will result in the creation
of positive and negative affections and
relationships. Our world will have difficulty
functioning if there is no communication. One
important element in this process is language.
WHAT IS LANGUAGE?
 Language is primarily a human and non-instinctive
method of communicating ideas, emotions, and
desires through a system of voluntarily produced
symbols (Sapir).

 It goes beyond just describing real situations, for it

primarily aims to form the components of culture
(Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis).

 In its widest sense, means the total of such signs of

our thoughts and feelings as are capable of external
perception and as could be produced and repeated at
will (A.H. Gardiner).
  Language may be defined as the expression of
thought utilizing speech-sounds (Henry Sweet).

MACRO SKILLS
 As future language teachers, we need to facilitate the
development of 5-macro skills. These are listening,
speaking, reading, writing and viewing. These
are essential for communication.
 Listening is a prerequisite to understanding. It is the skill of
grasping and decoding information during the exchange of
messages. Listening is the beginning of understanding and a
valuable key to effective communication. It is the task of getting
the meaning of what is being heard (Underwood, 2009).

 10 Steps to Effective Listening (Dianne Schilling)

Step 1: Look at the speaker in the face and eyes.
Step 2: Focus and give attention but relax.
Step 3: Be open-minded.
Step 4: Listen and picture what the speaker is saying.
Step 5: Don't speak while the person is talking.
Step 6: When the speaker pauses; you may ask clarifying
questions.
Step 7: Ask relevant questions.
Step 8: Put yourself in the speaker's place.
Step 9: Give feedback.
Step 10: Focus as well to nonverbal cues.
 Speaking is the ability that makes us superior to
other species. It is a complex cognitive and linguistic skill
that involves words and sounds.

• Meaning: connotation, denotation, grammar

• Sociality, Relationship, Affect: formal, informal,
slang, turn-taking
•Cultural Issues: class, ethnicity, nationality,
religion, gender, dialect
•Performance: articulation, projection,
pronunciation
•Sound Elements: how volume pitch, pace, and
nature of sound complement/contradict/replace words.
FUNCTIONS OF SPEAKING

INTERACTION TRANSACTION PERFORMANCE

 INTERACTION – is seen in social
conversations.

 TRANSACTION – happens when someone

wants to cut across a message. There is an act to
be done after the message is received.

 PERFORMANCE – is when an audience accept

the message spoken.
 Reading is a multi-faceted process involving word
recognition, comprehension, fluency, and motivation. Learn
how readers integrate these facets to make meaning from
print.

 Brown (1989) suggested the category as outlined below:

A. Oral Reading
B. Silent Reading
I. Intensive
a. linguistic
b. context
II. Extensive
a. skimming
b. scanning
c. global
 Oral Reading is reading aloud. This can be a
technique to improve poor readers’ word
identification context. It improves proper
pronunciation and enunciation.

 Under silent reading are extensive and intensive

reading. Extensive reading includes reading for
pleasure or reading technical, scientific, or
professional materials.

- specific types of reading:

scanning for key details
skimming for the essential meaning
 Writing entails control of language variables
since it is an extremely complex cognitive activity.
Good writing skills may increase the chance of
persons success.
Decide
the
topic
Review
, Edit Research and
Steps collect
and information
Format for
Writing

Start Outline
writing by
a simple and
draft Plan
 Viewing skills allow student to pause and
reflect and think about the images they are seeing and
analyze or evaluate further these visuals for better
use.

Viewing gives an avenue for students to

understand things and gain knowledge through
information, which is communicated by others
especially with the use of technology.

Visual literacy skill is the ability to learn

visually by thinking and solving problems presented in
the visual domain.
 Ideas may be presented visually through:

-Pictures -Videos
-Graphics -Web pages
-Posters -Multimedia
-Drawing

TYPES OF VIEWING

VISUAL LITERACY CRITICAL VIEWING

- skill to decipher the meaning
from visuals (Georgis, 1999)
- ability to create visuals to
convey effectively the ideas in
mind (Valmont, 2003; Heinish,
1999)
- skill to understand and
evaluate information from
visuals
- ability to analyze the
composition of the picture
COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE
Communicative competence refers to the
knowledge one has on morphology, phonology, syntax,
including how and when to use these appropriately in
utterances (Cooley and Roach, 1984).

Dell Hymes coined this term after opposing the

description of Chomsky’s (1966) performance and
competence.

Canale and Swain (1980) looked at communicative

competence as the overall system, including the skill and
knowledge one needs for communication. They proposed a
4-dimensional theory comprising of grammatical,
sociolinguistic, strategic and discourse competences.
 Grammatical Social Linguistic
Competence Competence

Communicative
Competence

Discourse Competence Strategic Competence