LANGUAGE LEARNING: ITS RELEVANCE TO EDUCATION

ARIANNE M. DAMPIL

“When language dies, a way of understanding the world dies with it a way looking at the world.” - George Steiner

Language is part of communication. At first, children do not have language but they have the ability to communicate. Children use nonverbal and verbal communication to express their needs. They cry, grunt and use body language.

Children’s capacity to learn language in the first three years is remarkable. They have the ability to learn more than one language at a time. Kids who learn different languages often viewed as native speakers because they acquire the language by the same process as their language, and are more likely to be fluent and accent-free.

Experiences provide the foundation for understanding the rules of turn-taking in conversations that children will use in communicating with others. They build their vocabulary and understanding through interactive experiences. They are not able to verbally express everything they are thinking, but they can understand more than they can say.

Language learners differ in emotions, language aptitude, gender learning styles, approaches to language learning. By knowing learners characteristics, teachers help students develop more positive attitudes and become better language learners. Other times, teachers use different language approaches for particular students and teaching situations.

A successful language learner must be prepared to adopt various aspects of another linguistic and cultural group. Attention and acquisition are centered on individual differences in skills. As teachers, the best solution is to get down to the root of these notions and fix it all the way up. A lot of efforts are needed to learn English.

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The author is Head Teacher I at San Pablo 2nd National High School