Language and Skills

A language is a means of communication between two people and it can also take place at a lager and vast scale. In fact it is encoding and decoding of messages that takes place between them. For instance speaker A encodes a message which the speaker B decodes (translates) and deciphers the real message. In this way, we can say that there must be a certain mutual understanding between the two, otherwise it may take to "linguistic gap". The linguistic gap refers to a situation in which two people can't communicate because one is using such a language that the second person can't comprehend.

There are four language-skills that are generally taught to those persons who want to learn a second or foreign language. They include reading, writing, speaking and listening. Acquiring proficiency in all the four skills is not an easy task. It requires on the part of learner an acute effort and consistent struggle after which he or she becomes able to easily communicate in the second language. In next blogs, I will discuss how can a learner acquire these skills in a fairly creditable manner.

Standard English

The standard variety of a language is used in newspapers and books etc and more significantly it is this variety which is taught to those who want to use it as a second/foreign language. Standard variety can be easily studied in the form of written language, including vocabulary, spelling and grammar.

Historically, the standard variety of English is based on the London dialect of English which developed after the Norman Conquest. The educated segment of the society preferred it in their formal communication. Apart from native speakers, the ones who speak it as their mother tongue, it was also promoted as a model for non-native speakers of English.

Today, the standard English ha been codified to such an extent that its basic grammar and vocabulary are much the same everywhere in the world. Though changes occur in the language when it is used by foreigners due to different cultural and social attitudes towards that language but still the standard language maintains its distinguished stature throughout the world.

English Language; Historic Overview

The history of English Language goes behind to the Anglo Saxon era, roughly 5th century AD. Since then we have a complete history of hoe it originated as well as how it developed. It is pertinent to mention here that the root system of every language is "poetry" and out of it different genres of literature emerge. The same is true for English as its old versions are accessible in the form of poetry.
Certain events in the world history mark various uplifts regarding the development of English language. Among many, the most important are Norman Conquest, Medieval Period, Augustus Age, Victorian Age, Romanticism etc.
What we have today in English, distinct genres with innumerable literary pieces of works, is the result of acute development the English language passed through over the period of centuries.