1 Why education needs linguistics, and linguistics needs education Richard Hudson Budapest March 2012
Mar 28, 2015
1
Why education needs linguistics, and linguistics needs education
Richard Hudson
Budapest March 2012
2
Summary
• Language is central to education– So education needs to understand language– So education needs linguistics
• Education influences language– So linguistics needs to understand this
influence– So linguistics needs educational research– But linguistics also needs language education
3
Language is central to education
• As instrument of education– for telling– for discussing– for controlling
• As content of education– education teaches the language of education– including its meanings and their relations
4
Questions for linguists: language as instrument
• How do we use language for communicating?– e.g. This is a rectangle, isn't it?
• How do we use language for learning?– e.g. I wonder if this is a rectangle.
• How do we use language for controlling?– e.g. Would you mind sitting down, please?
5
Questions for linguists:language as content
• How is the language of education special?– special sub-languages (e.g. rectangle, evaluate)– special languages (e.g. Viereck)– special medium: writing– special meanings: rectangles, equations, nouns
• Almost all of education is language education– So linguistics is central to education.
6
What linguistics can offer
• ideas– How does language work? – How can we study it?
• models– How is language organised?
• descriptions– What details do we find in language X?
7
Some ideas
• Descriptivism– We can and should describe language as it is.
• Variation– Any language varies with time, place, etc.
• Form and function are different– word-class against syntactic function– sentence-type against pragmatic function
8
Some models
• Sounds and letters are different– e.g. not: 'the th sound' – but: the sound [θ] and the letters <th>
• Words and meanings are different– e.g. not: 'the fox is a monosyllable'– but: FOX is a monosyllable– the fox is a mammal
9
Some more models
• Syntax and punctuation are different– e.g. not: A sentence is bounded by punctuation.– but: A sentence is defined by syntax, and
marked by punctuation.
• Lexemes and word-forms are different– e.g. not: Cat and cats are same/different word– but: Cat and cats are different word-forms but
the same lexeme.
10
A simple model of language
meaning
sentence-structure
word-structure
pronunciation
alphabetical writing
GRAMMAR LEXICON
11
Descriptions
• Descriptive frameworks– e.g. the International Phonetic Alphabet
• Books– Grammars– Dictionaries– Textbooks
12
So what?
• Linguistics is important for education– Every teacher should know some linguistics– Some teachers should know a lot of linguistics– Teachers should deepen their linguistics while
teaching
• But linguistics is also a research subject
13
The ideal education cycle
infant
adult researcher
school teacher
Year 1-13
university researchknow-ledge
know-ledge
know-ledge
14
But in reality …
• In the UK, most teachers know very little linguistics– Maybe because research stopped in 1900-50?– Nothing in school– Nothing in university– Very little in teacher-training
• Probably far less than in Hungary?
15
Moreover, linguists don't care
• In the UK/USA, many linguists don't see education as a potential 'consumer' of research.
• "You're a human being, and your time as a human being should be socially useful. It doesn't mean that your choices about helping other people have to be within the context of your professional training as a linguist. Maybe that training just doesn't help you to be useful to other people. In fact, it doesn't." (Chomsky 1991)
16
So why does education matter?
• Why is education important to us linguists?
• Because we need to understand the impact of education on language.– Does education have any impact?
• And we need students and researchers who have been well educated.– Should linguistics be 'adults-only'?
17
The impact of education on language?
• None– 'Explicit instruction has no effect'
• Popular in L1 teaching
– Education is generally ignored in language acquisition research
• Negative– 'Prestige English is not a natural language'
• Sobin 1999
18
Education does have an impact
• …, an advantaged student … learns about twice as many words as a disadvantaged student. … This translates into a wide range of vocabulary size by age five or six, at which time an English-speaking child will have learned about 2,500–5,000 words. An average student learns some 3,000 words per year (Wikipedia: Vocabulary)
19
Vocabulary growth
• Before school: 1,000 words per year
• During school: 3,000 words per year
• Why the difference?– because education teaches vocabulary– and writing– and thinking skills– and grammar, etc.
20
Subordinate clauses per 100 words
0
1
2
3
4
51
2b
3
4/F 5 6
7/C 8 A
grade
KS1
KS2
KS3
KS4
21
The paradox
• Linguists like to describe 'natural language'– but they use themselves as subjects– and they are highly educated– so their own language isn't typical or 'natural'.
• But maybe no language is 'natural'– because everyone thinks about their language– and manipulates it.
22
Educating the next generation…
• … of linguists – and of citizens– who need linguistics.
• How?– educate the teachers– challenge the children.
23
The Linguistics Olympiad
24
The UK Linguistics Olympiad
• Started 2010
• 2,000 competitors this year– Aged 12-18– three levels:
• Foundation, Intermediate, Advanced
• Round 1 in schools– Residential round 2, selecting for IOL
25
Foundation level:Abma
Mwamni sileng. He drinks water.
Nutsu mwatbo mwamni sileng. The child keeps drinking water.
Nutsu mwegau. The child grows.
mwamni, sileng = drinks/drinking or water
nutsu = the child mwatbo = keeps mwegau = grows
26
Advanced: Tangkhul
• Structure of problem:– 9 sentences in Tangkhul– 9 sentences in English that translate them.– but in a different order!
• Challenge:– Work out which E sentences translate which T
sentences– and which E words translate which T words!
27
For instance
• Tangkhul:– (a) a masikserra.– (b) āni masikngarokei – (c) āthum masikngarokngāilā
• English:– (1) Do they want to pinch each other?– (2) Do you(sg) see it?– (3) Have you(pl) all come?
28
International Linguistics Olympiad
29
So what again?
• So linguistics could play the same role in education as mathematics– in understanding language
• the main tool of education
– in developing analytical thinking skills
• But linguistics doesn't even exist in most schools
30
Thank you
• This talk can be downloaded from
www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/dick/talks.htm
• For the UK Linguistics Olympiad:
www.uklo.org