The five Components of Language

Communication: It's A Process!

• Part of the "big picture" encompassing the concept of language
• Used to share and exchange thoughts, requests, needs
• Communication is a vital player in variety of situations
• Message distortion is a lingering issue, so...
• Competence in formulating and communicating coherent messages crucial

Communication & language:

• Communication may take on various forms and patterns within language:
• May be classified as "verbal" (spoken speech) OR...
• "Non-verbal"- signing (manual communication) and other gestures
• Hegde (2010) sums up this connection well...
• "It is language that makes people so efficient at communication" (p. 2).

3 Major Language Components:

The Rules of Language..

syntax

Syntax

• Sentences serve different comm. functions (declarative, explanatory)
• MUST contain both noun and verb phrases
• "Written" syntax may differ greatly from "spoken" language
• Noam Chomsky-"syntactic structures...essence of language."
• "Language competence"- inborn knowledge of universal grammatical rules

morphology

More on Morphology...

• Word formation occurs using "morphemes" (most basic unit of meaning)
• Morphemes classified as "free" or "bound"
• Free morpheme-word that can exist by itself and still have meaning
• Bound morpheme-grammatical structures; cannot function alone
• Morphology is the very basis for MEANING in communication!

phonology

Listen Up! more phonology facts:

• Provides structure for audible communication
• "Phoneme"- basic unit of sound; may indicate variation in meaning
• "Sequencing" is especially important in phonology
• Without order in phonological structure, spoken language would be nonsense!
• Linked to language because of its focus on organization of sounds

semantics

The Meaning of "meaning"...

• Needed to ensure coherent communication...
• AND to help us make meaning of our world
• "World" (personal) knowledge vs. "Word" (verbal) knowledge
• These bodies of knowledge help compose our "mental dictionary."
• Sentences string words together to show meaning & relationship.

pragmatics

"pragmatically" speaking:

• Focuses on COMMUNICATION in language rather than structure
• Cultural knowledge is essential
• "Organization and coherence" in conversation also imperative!
• Examples include: speaking in turn AND...
• Appropriately beginning/ending/maintaining conversation

More on Pragmatics...

• Additionally includes sustaining appropriate conversational roles and...
• Discerning between direct/indirect speech important (i.e. requests)
• So are "literal" and "non-literal" (where sarcasm can enter the picture!)
• OVERALL: The element connecting ALL language components
• Communication is used to connect socially to others

Tying it all together...

• These five components connect to form not only a foundation of language...
• They also help dictate social behaviors within communication!
• Just as all five language components are related to each other...
• So, communication also proves to be a fundamental aspect of language!

references

• Hegde, M. (2010). Introduction to Communicative Disorders (4th ed.) . Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
• Owens, R. (2012). Language Development: An Introduction (8th ed.) . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.