Unit 1 ‘What is language?’ Structures Unit 2 ‘What is language?’ Culture

Created by Leighton Park School

• Unit 1 ‘What is language?’ Structures• Unit 2 ‘What is language?’ Culture• Unit 3 ‘Language Change and Language

Learning’ • Unit 4 ‘Group Project’

global communication

Welcome to …….



What is language?

Unit 1 ‘What is language?’ Structures


What is language? Read these statements and answer the questions…

Language is a method of sharing thoughts and information.

Language is always changing.

Language is a way of forming relationships with people.Language is what enabled humans to become the dominant species on the planet.

Language is the ability to read and spell correctly.Language is natural.Language is something you learn.

Language is part of culture.

Language is important.

Language is a physical process.

Language is a system.

Language is unique to humans.

Language is what makes us human.

Language is not always spoken.

• Do you agree with these statements about language?

• Are there any you disagree with?

• Which three do you think best explain or represent what language is? Explain your reasons.

What do you think language is? Write your own definition!


Professor Robert Winston here! In my book ‘Human’, I describe language like

this….

Understanding human behaviour is impossible without taking account of the huge influence of language. Language is the chief way in which humans share information across generations, with their contemporaries, and even with themselves. The ability to think and express ourselves verbally has immeasurably extended our control over the world: we are able to make sense not just of the present, but of the past and the future too. Through our grasp of words, we can communicate complex and novel ideas, and learn about things never experienced. Humans also build relationships with language…it is a powerful tool to influence those around us.


1.Language is the main way in which……2.Because of their ability to use language,

humans….3.Language allows us to….4.Language is important in developing…...5.If we didn’t have language……6.Spoken language is not the only way to

communicate….

Re-read Professor Robert Winston’s description of language and think about the statements about language you have heard. Then complete the following

sentences in your own words.



What do we need

language to be able to

do?



1 A mum sings to her child to help him stop crying.

Group these examples of language into three categories and give each category a title or description.

4 Two best friends invent a secret code to speak in.

3 A granddad refers to his granddaughter by a family

nickname.

13 A girl puts two kisses and a smiley at the end of text message

to her friend.

9 A lady says ‘good morning’ to her neighbour in the street.

6 A shop assistant tells a boy how much a DVD costs.

2 A teacher tells the class what their homework is.

14 The winning lottery numbers are published on a website.

10 A TV presenter reads the weather forecast.

15 A doctor reads a patient’s notes and discusses them with

the nurse.

5 A policeman reads the arrest statement to a suspected

criminal.

8 A teacher points at a class and says ‘ssshh’ when they have been

misbehaving.

7 A bully swears at a classmate and says he can’t join in their

football game.

11 The council put up a ‘No Ball Games’ sign outside some flats.

12 A guest on a TV show does not speak until the host asks her a

question.

• What does the language in each category do? • Do some of the statements fall into more than one category? Why?• Can you think of other examples for each category?


A mum sings to her child to help him stop crying.

Two best friends invent a secret code to speak in.

A granddad refers to his granddaughter by a family

nickname.

A girl puts two kisses and a smiley at the end of text message to her

friend.

A lady says ‘good morning’ to her neighbour in the street.

A shop assistant tells a boy how much a DVD costs.

A teacher tells the class what their homework is.

The winning lottery numbers are published on a website.

A TV presenter reads the weather forecast.

A doctor reads a patient’s notes and discusses them with the

nurse.

A policeman reads the arrest statement to a suspected

criminal.

A teacher points at a class and says ‘ssshh’ when they have been

misbehaving.

A bully swears at a classmate and says he can’t join in their football

game.

The council put up a ‘No Ball Games’ sign outside some flats.

A guest on a TV show does not speak until the host asks her a

question.

• How do these categories compare to the ones you came up with?• Do you think any one category is more important than the others?• Can you answer the question ‘What do we need language to be able to do? In

your own words?

Communicating Ideas and Information

Forming and Sustaining Relationships

Demonstrating Power

We use language to ask for and give information, and to

share our ideas about things. We ask and answer questions on and tell people about all manner of things

every day, from the trivial to the extremely important.

We use language to form relationships with other

people, and then to keep those relationships going

successfully. We use language to be polite, and

show that we are interested in other people and their

feelings.

We can use language to indicate that we have power or authority over someone

else. Sometimes this can be useful and necessary, but at

other times it can be unpleasant.

Read the definitions of each language function. Which examples do you

think go in each category?



Speech and

writing



Work with a partner to think of as many different types of spoken and written communication as you can – you can include

the examples you collected for prep.

Speech Writing

• What are the differences between spoken and written language?• Do spoken and written language serve different purposes? • What are the features of speech and writing? How do they differ?


Decide whether these statements refer to speech or writing by putting an ‘S’ or a ‘W’ next to each one.

Uses more complex

sentences and

connectives.Uses simpler sentences.

Often formal.

Often informal.

There is a delay before people can respond.

Gets ‘instant feedback’ from an audience who can respond, question and comment.

Mostly planned and can be edited.

Often spontaneous and unplanned.Involves spelling.

Involves pronunciation.

Uses punctuation.

Uses pauses and intonation.

It can only rely on words to communicate a message.

People use pitch, rhythm and their bodies to help communicate.

Tends to be more standardised across

regions.

Has dialect variations which represent a region.Not everyone learns to do it.

Everyone acquires the skill.


Speech WritingEveryone acquires the skill. Not everyone learns to do it.

Has dialect variations which represent a region.

Tends to be more standardised across regions.

People use pitch, rhythm and their bodies to help communicate.

It can only rely on words to communicate a message.

Uses pauses and intonation. Uses punctuation.

Involves pronunciation. Involves spelling.

Often spontaneous and unplanned. Mostly planned and can be edited.

Gets ‘instant feedback’ from an audience who can respond, question and comment.

There is a delay before people can respond.

Often informal. Often formal.

Uses simpler sentences and connectives.Uses more complex sentences and connectives.

Created by Leighton Park SchoolExtension: Fired by text message!

Think about the following scenarios, and for each one, discuss the EFFECTS, ADVANTAGES and DISADVANTAGES

of using a) speech and b) writing.

Comforting a friend Complaining to a restaurant about bad service

Inviting people to a party

Telling your grandparents about your holiday

http://www.news.com.au/business/pregnant-hairdresser-sacked-via-text-message-by-brisbanes-elysium-hair-beauty/story-e6frfm1i-1226069804507


Would speech or writing be the most appropriate choice in this situation?

Justify your answer

Sam was playing football in his garden and accidentally kicked the ball over the fence and smashes his neighbour’s window. When he went over to get the ball, there was no-one there, so he would probably never have been caught, but his mum told him he must own up and apologise.

Sam agreed, but how should he do it?!



How did we learn our own

languages?



Work in a small group to brainstorm the answers to the following questions and be ready to share your answers with

the class.

• How did you learn to talk?• If you had been born in

Azerbaijan, which language would you have grown up speaking?

• How is learning to speak different from learning to write?


Watch this video clip from the BBC’s Human Body documentary. In the clip, Professor Robert Winston talks

about how humans develop language.

Make notes whilst you watch the video!

Tell your partner the five most important things you learned from

the video clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i1z37nYMrM


When babies learn to talk they go through five distinct stages. Match the name of the stage to the approximate age and the examples.

Babbling

Holophrastic* stage

Multiword stage

Two-word stage

Telegraphic stage

6-8 months

8-18 months

18-24 months24-30 months

30+ months

ba-ba-ba-ba

ma-ma-ma-ma

Up!

Juice!

*If something is ‘holophrastic’ this means it stands for a whole phrase

Daddy car!

Where Katie?

Pig say oink!

You give the dolly!

Lucas playing with the little car!

I’m having this big one! I’m having ‘nana!


Five phases of language acquisition.

Babbling

Holophrastic* stage

Multiword stage

Two-word stage

Telegraphic stage

6-8 months

8-18 months

18-24 months

24-30 months

30+ months

ba-ba-ba-bama-ma-ma-ma

Up!Juice!

Daddy car!Where Katie?

Pig say oink!You give the dolly!

Lucas playing with the little car!

I’m having this big one! I’m having ‘nana!


Watch Youtube’s famous ‘talking twin babies’ and answer the following questions. (Click on the twins to get to the link!)

• What do they already know about speech and interaction?

• What do they still need to learn?

• How old do you think the twins are? Why?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lih0Z2IbIUQ


Show what you know by completing the following exercises.

Answer the following questions in full sentences:

1. What does it mean if we say that

spoken language is ‘innate’?

2. Explain how learning to speak is

different from learning to write.

3. Explain what ‘holophrastic’ means and

give an example.

4. Optional extension task: Find out what

‘overextension’ means in terms of

language acquisition and explain why

overextension helps prove that

language acquisition is an innate

process.

Complete the text by filling in the gaps.When babies are born, they communicate ____________ or discomfort

by crying. They move on to making ‘____________ ’ noises after

around eight weeks, and from the age of ____________ months they

begin to babble. Babbling sounds are made up of a vowel- __________

combinations which are ____________ several times. Babies move

through a one-word stage, also known as the ____________ stage, to

the two-word stage and then the telegraphic stage. At the telegraphic

stage, babies can combine a few words to convey ____________ , but

they do not have a highly developed understanding of ____________ .

From around ____________ months, babies begin to use grammatical

structures and from the age of two years, babies’ ____________

develop very quickly.

consonant vocabularies eight hunger thirty

cooing grammar holophrastic repeated meaning



How do we learn to

communicate in a foreign language?



Brainstorm the reasons why people might learn a foreign language.

Click on the pictures to watch three video clips of people speaking foreign languages. Despite their shortcomings,

what characteristics do Del, Joey, and Sheldon have which make them good language learners?

Travel?Meeting people?

Work? In your community?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARXy5liEA-s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARXy5liEA-s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqwzvtjeYBQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqwzvtjeYBQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M24HNJv3FkU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M24HNJv3FkU


Spend five minutes reviewing what you learned about:• Speech and writing

• Children’s language acquisitionThen think about these questions……

• What does ‘communicating’ mean?

• Do we have to be grammatically perfect / fluent

in a foreign language to communicate in that

language?

• What have we learned about babies’ language

which can help us understand learning to

communicate in a foreign language?

This is tricky, but you can do it! Make notes, and discuss your

ideas with a partner.

Now complete the ‘Get the Message Across’ activity. Your teacher will give you a message which you must communicate to

your partner in a foreign language. You will also be given some resources to help you.


How did you feel before starting the

task?

What methods did you use to complete the

task?

How did you feel after

completing the task?

Could you communicate successfully

with the other person even if you couldn’t speak their language fluently?

What attributes did you have to show

in order to be successful?

Are there situations where accuracy is

required?What skills do we need to be able to build up accuracy

in a foreign language?



Building blocks: Nouns,

pronouns and adjectives



Complete the identification activity. Look at the page of words and colour code them appropriately:

Nouns in red / Adjectives in blue / Pronouns in green

I

it

we

she

he

precious magical

cute abhorrent

friendly

large

ethical

fluffy

catParis

David Cameron

The Co-operative Bank

iPod

anger

equality

dodgeball

puffin

shoe

carpark

banana they

you

equal

co-operative

magic


How did you do?

I

it

we

she

he

precious magical

cute abhorrent

friendly

large

ethical

fluffy

catParis

David Cameron

The Co-operative Bank

iPod

anger

equality

dodgeball

puffin

shoe

carpark

banana they

you

equal

co-operative

magic



Why has this comic strip

featured Lego?

What’s that got to do with

language?


Ich habe ein blaues Auto.

Mein Hund ist freundlich.

J’ai une voiture bleue.

Mon chien est gentil.

Ik heb een blauwe auto.

Mijn hond is vriendelijk.Il mio cane è amichevole.

Ho un'auto blu

Tengo un coche azul.

Mi perro es amistoso.

Now look at the sentences from other languages. Try to colour code them appropriately:

Nouns in red / Adjectives in blue / Pronouns in green(Not all words will need to be colour coded.)


Ich habe ein blaues Auto. Mein Hund ist freundlich.

J’ai une voiture bleue. Mon chien est gentil.

Ik heb een blauwe auto. Mijn hond is vriendelijk.

Il mio cane è amichevole.Ho un'auto blu

Tengo un coche azul. Mi perro es amistoso.

• What do the two sentences mean? What languages do you think

these are? What do you notice about the languages?

• How did you work out which were pronouns, nouns and adjectives?

• Could you use the skills you used for this exercise in real life? In what

kind of situation? Could you use anything to help ‘fill in the gaps’?

• Try and communicate a message to someone using just pronouns,

nouns and adjectives! Did it work? Could this be useful in real life?

What disadvantages would it have?



The man eating

chicken!



When you were asked to draw a man eating chicken, did you draw…………

or

• In each picture, who or what is eating?

• Who or what is being eaten?


The man eats chicken. The chicken eats man!

Many languages follow the Subject Verb Object pattern.

The subject is the thing which is doing the action.The verb is the action itself.The object is having the action done to it.

s sv vo o


Identify the Subject, Verb and Object in these sentences.

The boy plays football.v os



Kittens love milk.v os



Usain Bolt wore his medal.vs o



The pupils did their work.vs o

• The two previous sentences were different

from the two first ones and the example –

in what way? Did this affect the SVO rule?



Das Baby trinkt Milch.v os



El elefante juega al fútbolv os

• There is an ‘extra’ word in this sentence –

what could this be? Does it change the

overall SVO rule?



Building blocks:

Verbs and adverbs



Verb Challenge! Underline the verb(s) in as many sentences as you can.

• The kids play football every day.• Parrots squawk.• Mo Farah runs quickly.• I have a younger brother.• The man wandered around the

town.• It is sunny today.• Have you got any money?• I had pizza for dinner last night.• I am going to buy some sweets.• Jessica Ennis won a gold medal.• Berlin is the capital of Germany.• We are proud of you. • My mum bought a cup of coffee.

• Get out of here!• He has already eaten his lunch.• Were you wearing your seatbelt?• Put those books back on the shelf.• Will you be bringing your brother?• Would you close the door please?• She was carrying a pink handbag, I think.• Had he already been to see you when I

called?• Don’t you think you ought to call your

parents?• Had they really been going to buy a lottery

ticket?• What ails thee?• Colourless green ideas sleep furiously.


Verb Challenge! Underline the verb(s) in as many sentences as you can.

• The kids play football every day.• Parrots squawk.• Mo Farah runs quickly.• I have a younger brother.• The man wandered around the

town.• It is sunny today.• Have you got any money?• I had pizza for dinner last night.• I am going to buy some sweets.• Jessica Ennis won a gold medal.• Berlin is the capital of Germany.• We are proud of you. • My mum bought a cup of coffee

• Get out of here!• He has already eaten his lunch.• Were you wearing your seatbelt?• Put those books back on the shelf.• Will you be bringing your brother?• Would you close the door please?• She was carrying a pink handbag, I think.• Had he already been to see you when I

called?• Don’t you think you ought to call your

parents?• Had they really been going to buy a lottery

ticket?• What ails thee?• Colourless green ideas sleep furiously.

• How did you know which were the verbs?

• How would you define a verb?


Verbs, perhaps more than any other word class, form the building blocks of language. Without verbs, we could only name or describe things, but with verbs, we can talk about what things do.

Verbs are very flexible and useful! We can take a basic verb (called the infinitive) and change it or add bits to it in various ways, so that it does what we want it to.

Just like Lego!

The dragon eats the ice-cream.The dragon ate the ice-cream.The dragon is going to eat the ice-cream.The dragon is eating the ice-cream.The dragon was eating the ice-cream.The dragon will be eating the ice-cream.The dragon has eaten the ice-cream.The dragon had eaten the ice-cream.The dragon will have eaten the ice-cream.The dragon has been eating the ice-cream.The dragon had been eating the ice-cream.The dragon is going to have been eating the ice-cream.

Hey, you forgot one! What about

‘I eat the ice-cream’?


All those sentences were formed using the infinitive verb ‘to eat’. In English, infinitives always start with the word ‘to’.

In other languages, there are other ways of identifying infinitives. For example:

essen(German)

manger(French)

mangiare(Italian)

eten(Dutch)

comer(Spanish)

In German, most infinitives end in en.

In Italian, infinitives end in are, ere or ire.

In Dutch, most infinitives end in en.

In French, infinitives end in er, re or ir.

In Spanish, infinitives end in ar, er or ir.

to eat(English)In English, infinitives start

with to.


Each infinitive has a part which makes it unique – the part that gives us the meaning of the verb. This part is called the stem. It is useful

essen(German)

manger(French)

mangiare(Italian)

eten(Dutch)

comer(Spanish)

In German, we find the stem by taking the en off

the infinifive.

In Italian, we find the stem by taking the are, ere or ire

off the infinitive.

In Dutch, we find the stem by taking the en off the

infinitive.

In French, we find the stem by taking the er, ir or re off the infinitive.

In Spanish, we find the stem by taking the ar, er or ir off the infinitive.

to eat(English)In English, we find the

stem by taking the to off the infinitive.


Find the stems of the following infinitives.

trinken


aller


snuiven


andar


esistere


schmelzen


conduire


viaggiare


bidden


escribir


One of the most important things we can do with a verb in any language is ‘conjugate’ it. This allows us to use a verb with different pronouns, so that we can express the idea that different people are doing an action.

Look at these sentences – what is wrong with them?

He go to town. You is a girl. She play football.

He am a doctor.We eats vegetables.

They is tired.She drink a glass of water.

You has a big sister.

In all these sentences, the verb form does not go with the pronoun - the verbs have been conjugated wrongly.

Can you correct them?

He goes to town. You are a girl. She plays football..

We eat vegetables. He is a doctor. You have a big sister.

She drinks a glass of water. They are tired.


When we conjugate, we have to put an ending on the verb’s stem. The ending we use has to be the one which goes with the pronoun we are using.

To drink

I drink

You drink

He / She drinks

We drink

You drink

They drink

In other languages, conjugating can be more complex, but once you

learn the endings, it’s easy!

trinken

Ich trinke

Du trinkst

Er / Sie trinkt

Wir trinken

Ihr trinkt

Sie trinken

In English, conjugating is

usually pretty easy!


When we conjugate, we have to put an ending on the verb’s stem. The ending we use has to be the one which goes with the pronoun we are using.

To drink

I drink

You drink

He / She drinks

We drink

You drink

They drink

trinken

Ich trinke

Du trinkst

Er / Sie trinkt

Wir trinken

Ihr trinkt

Sie trinken

Use the examples here to help you conjugate the following nonsense verbs in English and German:

To wug / wuggenTo ploof / ploofenTo smill / smillenTo frang / frangen


To wug

I _______

You _______

He / She _______

We _______

You _______

They _______

wuggen

Ich _______

Du _______

Er / Sie _______

Wir _______

Ihr _______

Sie _______

To ploof

I _______

You _______

He / She _______

We _______

You _______

They _______

ploofen

Ich _______

Du _______

Er / Sie _______

Wir _______

Ihr _______

Sie _______

To smill

I _______

You _______

He / She _______

We _______

You _______

They _______

smillen

Ich _______

Du _______

Er / Sie _______

Wir _______

Ihr _______

Sie _______

To frang

I _______

You _______

He / She _______

We _______

You _______

They _______

frangen

Ich _______

Du _______

Er / Sie _______

Wir _______

Ihr _______

Sie _______


To wug

I wug

You wug

He / She wugs

We wug

You wug

They wug

wuggen

Ich wugge

Du wuggst

Er / Sie wuggt

Wir wuggen

Ihr wuggt

Sie wuggen

To ploof

I ploof

You ploof

He / She ploofs

We ploof

You ploof

They ploof

ploofen

Ich ploofe

Du ploofst

Er / Sie plooft

Wir ploofen

Ihr plooft

Sie ploofen

To smill

I smill

You smill

He / She smills

We smill

You smill

They smill

smillen

Ich smille

Du smillst

Er / Sie smillt

Wir smillen

Ihr smillt

Sie smillen

To frang

I frang

You frang

He / She frangs

We frang

You frang

They frang

frangen

Ich frange

Du frangst

Er / Sie frangt

Wir frangen

Ihr frangt

Sie frangen


Show what you know by completing the following exercises.

Answer the following questions in full sentences:

1. Describe in your own words what a

verb is and why verbs are so important.

2. Explain in your own words what the

following terms mean:

• infinitive

• stem

3. Use examples to explain what

conjugation means and why it is

important to conjugate a verb correctly

if you wish to communicate accurately.

Based on the work you have completed today, invent your own verb system and create a poster to explain it.

1. Decide how you will identify infinitives and stems

in your system, and give examples of both.

2. Decide whether you would like to use English

pronouns or invent your own, then work out

which verb endings you will use for each pronoun.

3. Give examples of verb conjugation using your

system.

4. Explain / justify any choices you made when

designing your verb system, particularly any

unusual ones.

Don’t forget to ask your teacher if you need help!

Unit 1 ‘What is language?’ Structures Unit 2 ‘What is language?’ Culture

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