Teaching a Second Language

Abstract

What is language? Although many suggest that it is difficult to put together a fixed definition of language, as early as 1921 experts described language as a way for humans to communicate using arbitrary symbols (Hall, 1964; Sapir, 1921; Trager, 1949). Chomsky (1968) argues that language involves the construction of sentences from a fixed set of elements and Halliday (1975) describes language as varied behavior options taking place in a social context and linked to culture. Most experts agree that language in not necessarily instinctual, rather it is passed down from parent to child from birth, with most children succeeding in acquiring their native language. Moreover, language is not uniform, rather it varies according to sociocultural characteristics of groups, e.g., cultural background, geographic location, social class, gender, age, and the influence of the speech community. There are also differences in the way language is used in specific situations, such as home, school, formal and informal settings (Heath, 1983). Language varieties, including dialects, pigeons and creoles, are regional or social variations of language (Hamers & Blanc, 2000, p. 370). Dialects are those language varieties that are used by specific groups of people (Lessow-Hurley, 2005, p. 36). Dialects can vary geographically, yet are often understood by speakers of the same language (Ardila, 2005, p. 66). Pigeons emerge through contact between two language groups that develop an approximation of a communal language based on a need for restricted communication without the intent of developing bilingualism (Hamers & Blanc, 2000, p. 303). When a new generation grows up speaking that language such that it becomes the native language of a specific community, that language is called a creole (Hamers & Blanc, 2000, p. 305). Though it is generally recognized that language varieties are not deficits, a recurring theme in the research addresses the impact of speaking a nonstandard language variety on educational experiences, based on the notion that language varieties are deficient in and of themselves and should be eradicated (Ovando, Combs, & Collier, 2006).