Language Description and Theories of Learning
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This document discusses English for Specific Purposes and provides an overview of language descriptions and theories of learning. It covers six main approaches to language description: classical grammar, structural linguistics, transformational generative grammar, language variation and register analysis, functional grammar, and discourse analysis. It also discusses several theories of learning: behaviorism, mentalism, cognitive code, affective factors, learning vs acquisition, and models of learning. The conclusion states that while no single source or approach is perfect, teachers should recognize different approaches as ways to look at the same thing and choose methods that suit language descriptions and consider evidence from practice.
Language Description and Theories of Learning
- 1. ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES LANGUAGE DESCRIPTION AND THEORIES OF LEARNING A Paper was arranged to complete task: English for Specific Purposes, on the fifth semester. Lecturer : Faisal Risdianto, S. S., M. Hum. Created by : Eva Nuryani 113-13-073 Fatma Riftiningsih 113-13-148 Novi Dyah Arisanti 113-14-037 Iis Sholikah 113-14-180 Class D ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION FACULTY STATE INSTITUTE FOR ISLAMIC STUDIES (IAIN) SALATIGA 2016
- 2. CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ِْمسِبِيم ِحهالر ِنَمْحهالر ِ هاَّلل There are many approaches relate to Language. As teacher, it will be better not focus on one approach. Every approaches have their edvantages and disadvantages, here the evidence in the environment should be acted as their case. In this occasion, important to understand the main features of all approaches so they can be used appropriately in ESP course. Theories of learning is the conceptual framework describing how information is absorbed, processed ang retained during the learning. This is about how the learners process the information in which they have taken. Learners may have their style in learning process but they have same destination in order to understanding what they learn. Learning language means the understanding structure and the processes of the mind. Unfortunately, we know about the people thinking. Although, when people try to improve the techniques, methods and contents of language teaching, they have to try and find what they will do in the classroom atmosphere. In twentieth century there was no coherent theory of learning available to language teacher, until psychology had been establish as respectable subject of scientific enquiry in the early twentieth cenrury. There are five main stages have identified of development which are commonly known as: Behaviourism, Mentalism, Cognitive Code, Affective Factor and Learning Acquisition.
- 3. CHAPTER II CONTENTS A. LANGUAGE DESCRIPTIONS The ideas are drawn from the various language descriptions that have been developed by succeeding schools of thought in Linguistics. The important thing, we can aplly the suitable approach to get our goal. Here, we identify six main stages of development, 1. Classical or Traditional Grammar Description of English and other languages were based on the grammars of the classical languages, Greek and Latin. These descriptions were based on analysis of the role played by each word in sentence. Language were described in this way because the classical language were care-based language where the grammatical funcionts have different use of appropriate approach. The sentence was made apparent by the use of appropriate inflections. The form of a word would change according to subject, object, indirect object, and so on. 2. Structural Linguistics The structural or “slot and filler” form of language description will be familiar to most language teacher as a result of the enormous influence it has had on language teaching since the Second World War. Language is described in terms of syntagmatic structures which carry the fundamental propositions (statement, interrogative, negative, imperative, etc.) and nations (time, number, gender, etc). There are large areas of language use that can’t explain. It may fail to provide the learner with understanding of the communicative use of the structures (Allen and Widdowson, 1974). 3. Transformational Generative (TG) Grammar Chomsky argued that the structural description (the view of language from syntagmatic patterns) was too superficial, because it only described the surface and can’t explain the relationship of meaning.
- 4. There must be two levels of meaning from Chomsky: a deep level and a surface level. A deep level, which is concerned with the organisationof thoughts. Meanwhile the surface level, where these thoughts are expressed through the syntax of language. Here, ESP needs to focus the distinction he made between performance and competence. Describing what people do with the language (performance) is important, if not equal importance is discovering the competence that enables them to do it. (Hutchinson and Waters, 1981) 4. Language Variation and Register Analysis Enable us to distinguish formal from informal, written from spoken, self- sufficient language from context-dependent. If we view language as part of a communicative whole, it is clear that language use shows considerable variety. The concept of language variation gave rise to the type of ESP, which was based on register analysis. Register analysis has proved to be an insubstansial basis. Language varies according to the context of use enables us to distinguish formal from informal, written from spoken, self-sufficient language from context- dependent. 5. Functional or Notional Grammar Functions are concerned which social behavior and represent the mention of the speaker or writer. Notions, reflect the way in which the human mind things. Functional or notional had shown that there is more to meaning than just the words in the sentence. 6. Discourse (Rhetorical) Analysis The change of meaning in the same sentences is brought by 2 factors : a. the sociolinguistics context (the relationship between participants and their reasons for speaking) b. the discourse meaning (the utterance acquires meaning by virtue of what utterances it precedes or follows)
- 5. B. THEORIES OF LEARNING There are some theories of learning such as: a. Behaviourism (learning as habit formation) The first coherent theory of learning was the behaviourist theory based mainly on the work of Payloy in Soviet Union and of Skinner in the United State. This simple but powerful theory said that leraning is a mechanical process of habit formation and proceeds by means of the frequence reinforcement of a stimulus-response sequence. The are some precepts such as: 1. Never translate 2. New language should always be dealt with in the sequences: hear, speak, read, write 3. Frequence repetition is essential to effective learning 4. All errors must be immediatelly correct Principles of behaviourism or is called of operant conditioning b. Mentalism (Thinking as rule-governed activity) In this case learning as rule-governed activity or learning consist not of forming habits but of acquiring rules – a process in which individul experiences are used by the mind to formulate a hypothesis. c. Cognitive code Learning is a process in which the learner actively tries to make sense of data, learning can be said to have taken place when the learner has on the data. The basic teaching technique associated with acognitive theory of language learning is the problem solving task. Theory operant conditioning Respons Reinforcement
- 6. d. The affective factor (learner as emotional being) In this theory, learner try to combine the emotional factor and cognitive theory in order to take success or otherwise of a language learning experience. The cognitive theory tells us that the learners will learn when they actively think about what they are learning. But the cognitive factor presupposes the affective factor of motivation. That is the reason why the important elements in development of ESP is motivation. There are two influential of motivations in language learning. They are: 1. Intrumental motivation Instrumental motivation is the reflection of an external needs. It means the learner are not learning a language because thy want to, but they need to. For example: the students read the text books because they need to pass an examination. 2. Integrative motivation A desire on the part of the learners to be members of the speech community that uses a particular language. In this case the learner learns the language because they use it as communicative speech to the others. The learner to be members of the speech community that use a particular language. It is an internally generated want rather than an externally imposed need. e. Learning and acquisition In this case, learning is seen as a concious process, while acquisition proceeds unconciously. It means that when people learning language, automatically they will acquire it in unconsciously. That is why the both terms are interchangably. f. Model for Learning Model of learning will provide a prctical source of reference for the ESP teacher and course design. It is a picture that combine all parts of learning process. For example, picture the mind as a network of connections, meanwhile the individual houses, towns, and village represent item or bundles of knowledge.
- 7. English for Spesific Purpose To give the meaning of ESP, we need to establish a context, which will help us to see how ESP at the present time relates to the rest of ELT. The important thing we should understand the main features of each description in order we can consider how they can be used most appropriately in ESP courses. So they are drawn from the various language description that have been developed by succeeding schools of thought in Linguistics.
- 8. CHAPTER III CONCLUSION The Language Description is the way in which in the language system is broken down and described for the purposes of learning. However, the theoretical basis for methodology, that helping us to understand how people learn is delivered by learning theories. We should know both of them will be useful in ESP. There is no single source from a language course which perfect. Every stage of language description has their own function. We couldn’t say a functional description does not imply that a structural description is wrong. Teacher should recognize various approaches are different ways of looking at the same thing because the purposes of the linguist and the language teacher are not same. The Theories of learning relates to the development in approaches to learning and considered their relevances to ESP. We still do not know very much about learning. Therefore, not to base any approach too narrowly on one theory, we should choose an approach that suitable with the language description. As teacher, it is useful to trust in the evidence that had happened. In practice, the implication both language description and learning theories should be selected.
- 9. REFERENCES Hutchinson Tom & Alan Wters. 1987. English For Specific Purposes. Cambridge University Press.