EDUARDO MONDLANE UNIVERSITY

Faculty of Art and Social Science

Oral and Written Communication

II Semester 2023

Summary on the Text Book: The English Language - Preliminary Concepts

Student’s name: Chaibo José Ferro

In the text, THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE: PRELIMINARY CONCEPTS the writer explains
the origins of English language, and its importance around the world, for it is a language of
wider communication. It has its origins in medieval England and the north parts of Europe,
among Angle and Saxons tribes, because of this suffered many transformations in terms of
vocabulary and grammar.

Therefore, considered as a complex language for the variation of speech (register) and writing
influenced by the society. Contrary to speaking, writing involves planning what to present before
it reaches the reader, making it more formal. Spoken English does not have a unique pattern of
correctness nor grammar because many social groups use different grammars; thus, writing
conventional norms of correctness and grammaticality is required. Only this unique style accepts
any universality and uniformity.

Nowadays spoken English diverse and vary differently from the past. These differences exist
because of the strong influence that someone’s dialect has on the (English) language in terms of
pronouncing words. There are two important thoughts about the relationship between writing
words and speech. Perceive writing and speaking as two principles converted into one to
accommodate a specific dialect of English to the subsequent written language. Perceive that there
is somehow a big difference between them to the fact that they have their specific grammatical
norms and principles. Therefore, writing should not be the pattern principle to correct speaking
mistakes and vice-verse.
Genre determines which type of English to speak about and it is for a great extent a class of text.
It does not focus extremely on grammar, but the vocabulary and ideas within. Furthermore it is
for some extent connected to register being in many ways formal than others.

Grammar holds a negative report. Due to the fact that writing professionally requires proficiency
and a good background vocabulary. Lately what has regulated correctness is no longer grammar
but usage, set up in an impulsive manner as follow in the example of “fewer for more than one
noun and less for singular noun”. Therefore, in standard written English grammatical correctness
is a matter of consensus including present regulated practice. Judging a sentence goes beyond
grammatical peculiarities but stylish as well; as we can notice in the use of passive; in this regard
these two are hardly separated. Grammar is conventional following a variety of principles. In
addition, writing demands a literal knowledge of these principles.