Foundational Methods in Language Acquisition and Pedagogy
Defining Major Language Teaching Methods and Features
The Classical Method
The classical education movement advocates a form of education rooted in the traditions of Western culture, focusing particularly on education as understood and taught in Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages. The curriculum and pedagogy of classical education were first developed during the Middle Ages.
Key Characteristics in Vernacular Languages
- Fostering morphology to the detriment of syntax.
- The presence of a phonetic section.
How We Learn Language: Key Theories of Acquisition
Major Theories of Language Acquisition
Universal Grammar
Universal Grammar is a linguistic theory, usually credited to Noam Chomsky, suggesting that all possible natural human languages share certain properties. The theory proposes that some rules of grammar are hard-wired into the brain and manifest without being taught.
Acquisition Through Imitation
The role of imitation in language acquisition is examined through data from psycholinguistic, operant, and social learning areas. From the psycholinguistic
Read MoreThe Codes of Communication: Non-Verbal Signals and Language Variation
Non-Verbal Communication Codes
Paralinguistics: Sound Elements of Communication
Paralinguistics studies the sound elements that accompany utterances, which constitute signals and communicate information. These elements include:
- Intensity or Volume of Voice: How loud or soft the speech is.
- Tempo: The velocity of emission of statements.
- Pitch: The height of the musical sounds.
- Nuances in Intonation and Syllabic Duration: Syllabic lengthening occurs to comfort someone or express hesitation, while shortenings
Saussure, Structuralism, and Key Concepts in Modern Linguistics
Foundations of 20th-Century Linguistics
Ferdinand de Saussure: The Father of Structuralism
Saussure was a Swiss linguist whose ideas laid the foundation for many significant developments in linguistics in the 20th century. He is considered one of the fathers of 20th-century linguistics. Saussure’s early work was in philology, but he is mainly remembered for his theoretical ideas, as summarized in the Course in General Linguistics.
Course in General Linguistics (Key Text)
The Course in General Linguistics
Read MoreCommunicative Competence Acquisition in English Language Teaching
Methods and Techniques for Communicative Competence Acquisition
Specific Methodological Foundations in English Language Teaching
This essay aims to analyze the methods and techniques dealing with the acquisition of communicative competence in a foreign language. For this purpose, we will review the main methods and approaches used to teach a foreign language communicatively.
Secondly, we will deeply consider the concepts of Approach, which deals with the theory of language learning, including objectives,
Read MoreCore Concepts and Professional Practices in Interpretation
1. Components and Layers of the Act of Communication
Defining the Components of Communication
The components of the act of communication are:
- Sender (Speaker): The person who creates and delivers the message.
- Message: The content that the Sender wants to communicate.
- Package: How the message is delivered—including tone, words, gestures, volume, and style.
- Interpreter: The mediator who receives the message in one language and reformulates it in another.
- Receiver (Listener): The person the message is intended