What I think about language and English 29/9/2015

What I think about language and English

Language is meant for communication which is two-ways/ to and fro in nature.  It involves speaker and listener(s) or writer and reader(s). 

We communicate for a purpose to express our ideas, feelings, needs, opinions and thoughts.

English, well, is just a version of language.

Languages are words and sounds for the same purpose for communication.

Written words are signs / symbols whereas spoken version is just sounds related to symbols. 

This world is full of symbols and we communicate with the knowledge of these sounds and symbols.

As far as I know BM, Chinese and English are interconnected and related in many ways.

I dare to say all languages are interconnected and related in many ways.  Otherwise how can a language be translated into other languages?

Each language is unique in forms and structures.   Basically, all the world classes are more or less the same.  Check if the words in other languages can be grouped into these 9 word classes or forms, namely,

1.  Nouns                  2.  Pronouns            3.  Verbs     

4.  Adjectives             5.  Adverbs             6.  Conjunctions     

7.  Prepositions          8.  Exclamations      9.  Determiners

So, do you think it is a good idea to explore other languages to teach the English language?   That is to connect it to the Malay and Chinese languages.  See if these connections will make learning English even easier.

Air is air and water is water.   No matter how you call them, they still remain the same.

Air won’t become perfumed air in France nor become durian-filled air in Malaysia.  Air is air wherever it goes

Water is water wherever it flows by whatever names and sounds.  It still remains the same. 

Air is air wherever it goes and water is water wherever it flows. They do not change their characteristics by whatever the names in whatever languages. 

For naming words / the names of the things / nouns, the things remain the same in whatever the names in whatever the languages.  They are still the same in different sounds and symbols. 

Basically, there are two kinds of nouns, namely, Proper nouns and Common nouns.  But the language expects have further specified the common nouns into Abstract nouns, Material nouns, collective nouns and concrete nouns.

Pronouns are words used in place of nouns.  They are

*P1, P3, P4 and P5 for Personal Pronouns 

*P2 is determiner placed before nouns to form noun phrase

*Demonstrative pronouns

*Indefinite pronouns

*Interrogative pronouns

*Quantifying pronouns

*Reciprocal pronouns

*Relative pronouns

Adjectives are words to describe nouns directly.  They are Predicative and Attributive adjectives to note.

Adverbs of manners are words used to modify verbs whereas adverbs of degree are to modify adjectives and adverb of manners.

An adverb of place tells where an action takes place.

An adverb of time tells when an action takes place.

An adverb of frequency tells how often an action takes place.

An adverb of degree tells the intensity of adjective or adverb of manners.

There are Focusing adverbs, Interrogative adverbs, Linking adverbs and Sentence adverbs to know and distinguish.

Conjunctions are words to connect words, phrases or sentences.

Prepositions are words that connect  noun,  noun phrase and  noun clause, pronoun as well as Gerund/F2.

Exclamations are words expressing strong feelings of amazement, astonishment, anger, happiness, surprise and so on.

Determiners are words that limit the range of nouns in general to become specific.