Free English Language Dissertations - Therefore We Mentally Fill In The Writer’s Omission. Furthermore, Since She
Therefore we mentally fill in the writer’s omission.
Furthermore, since she presented this piece of writing in search of help because ‘she speaks bad’, we may feel fairly certain that this must be an omission. This may be one of the aspects of her writing the student knows she needs to address.
Thus, if we accept that this introductory line functions to tell us what the text is about, the information we should expect to find below is about ‘Julia’, as viewed through the eyes of ‘Carol’. Indeed, this information is exactly what we are given. In fact, we are given information on several levels.
By closely examining the words used in this passage, the level of language development of this student can be determined. When this is done, recommendations will be suggested that can assist the student in her goal of developing her written English skills. Doing this may in turn serve to address the self-critical attitude that very likely has been hampering the student’s progress. If left unchecked, this attitude will negatively impact the student’s ability to progress further in the language.
By following these recommendations, the student will be able to frame her words in a manner that match context and purpose in language. It is important that the student has positive support from her instructor during this stage. As Rod Ellis and others have pointed out, unproductive teaching attitudes negatively impact a student’s progress (Ellis 1993: 189). In addition, unproductive attitudes may also affect the student’s prospects for continuing language acquisition.
Varieties of Language
In The History of the English Language, Albert Baugh and Thomas Cable assert that ‘there is no such thing as uniformity in language. Not only does the speech of one community differ from that of another, but the speech of different individuals of a single community, even different members of the same family, is marked by individual peculiarities’. This is true of English as it is of all major international languages.
Michael Newby reiterates this in his book The Structure of English, adding that ‘no single English is the correct one’ (13). However, despite the myriad differences that exist in language, there has to be a set of consistent components that all speakers use to understand one another. Newby calls these three components ‘medium’, ‘meaning’, and ‘grammar’. The medium in which information is sent and received is usually visual, such as words appearing on a written page. If the words were to be read aloud, the medium would be sound. In a similar fashion, the medium of a text written in Braille would be touch.
The next component is meaning, or that which is to be communicated, and cannot exist without the third component, which is grammar.
