University of Nueva Caceres
J. Hernandez Ave, Naga Camarines Sur
S//Y 2024-2025
Language, Culture, and Society
By: Isabella Mischa M. Cordez
Language
- The principal method of human communication consists of words used in a structured and
conventional way which is conveyed by speech, writing, or gesture.
Macro skills
- it refers to the primary, key, main, and largest skill set relative to a particular context. It is
commonly referred to in the English language.
Four Macro Skills
1. Speaking : The direct and useful form of communicating. This is one of the main macro forms of
communication as it is physically interacting with another person through a certain language.
Speaking helps us communicate our thoughts, ideas, suggestions, comments, etc. most naturally
and reliably without much distortion of information. It requires resources that are naturally
available to every living thing by nature.
2. Listening : It is the most critical element in language learning. for it is the key to speaking and the
basis for the other two, reading and writing. When learning a new language, the best way to do it
is to engage in a balance of each of these areas, as they are all interconnected. if these skills are
not practiced it will end up being weaker. There are several ways of listening, Passive Listening,
Active Listening, and Competitive Listening.
● Active Listening - considered as the most effective because the listener is not only listening with
interest but actively acknowledging the brief responses. One way to become a better listener is to
practice this mode.
● Passive Listening - It can be compared to a rock. You know it is there, you can see it, but it just
seems that it's not absorbing anything that the speaker is saying. A passive listener is mechanical
and effortless. it does not give any feedback from the speaker. These are listeners who are
interested in what the other person is saying and tend to pay attention. They are attentive but
don’t necessarily interact verbally.
● Competitive Listening - Those people who are only half-listening to what is being said, because
they are more focused on how they will respond. Competitive listeners are good listeners but
when they have the chance to jump right in, they will now tell their argument, opinion, or
thought. Usually, they do more talking than listening. Competitive Listening or Combative
Listening happens when we are more interested in promoting our point of view than in
understanding or exploring someone else’s view. Either we listen for opening to take the floor, or
for flaws or weak points then they now go to speak and take the floor.
, 3. Reading: It is a complex skill that is taught when you’re still young as it’s essential for learning
and development and vocabulary. It is also an act or activity of rendering aloud written or printed
material. Reading is also an ability to understand reading material in the form of a paragraph or a
sentence. We used the skill of reading to scan information and understand what the writers
wanted to tell, evaluate what we read and incorporate information from multiple sources.
4. Writing - It is defined as the act or the art of forming letters and characters on paper, wood, stone
or other matera, for the purpose of recording the ideas and information in which characters and
words express or communicate to others by visible signs. In simple terms, writing is anything
written or printed which expresses characters or story in the form of letters.
Communicative Competence
- An individual’s ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in various contexts,
encompassing all aspects of language, including social and cognitive abilities, beyond just
grammar rules.
The Four Views of Language
1. Structuralist : They believe that language can be described in terms that is observable and
verifiable data as it is being used. Language is a system of speech sounds used for human
communication.
- Language is a system of systems, sound is arranged in a certain fixed order to form meaningful
words. Ex: no words will start in bz-lr- or zl but, there are spr-and str-.
- Words are arranged to form meaningful sentences. Ex: subject-verb-object
- Language is a system of structurally related elements: Phonemes-sounds, Morphemes-words,
Tagmemes-Phrases and sentences/clauses.
- Language is arbitrary.
2. Transformationalists ; They believe that language is a system of knowledge made to manifest as
linguistic forms but innate and universal.
- Language is a mental phenomenon
- Language is innate
- Language is Universal
- Language is Creative
3. Functionalists : They believe that language is a dynamic system through which members of a
community exchange information. This view of language emphasizes the meaning and functions
rather than the grammatical characteristics of language rather than structure and grammar.
- Expressing emotions
- Persuade people
- Asking and giving information
- Making people do things for others
J. Hernandez Ave, Naga Camarines Sur
S//Y 2024-2025
Language, Culture, and Society
By: Isabella Mischa M. Cordez
Language
- The principal method of human communication consists of words used in a structured and
conventional way which is conveyed by speech, writing, or gesture.
Macro skills
- it refers to the primary, key, main, and largest skill set relative to a particular context. It is
commonly referred to in the English language.
Four Macro Skills
1. Speaking : The direct and useful form of communicating. This is one of the main macro forms of
communication as it is physically interacting with another person through a certain language.
Speaking helps us communicate our thoughts, ideas, suggestions, comments, etc. most naturally
and reliably without much distortion of information. It requires resources that are naturally
available to every living thing by nature.
2. Listening : It is the most critical element in language learning. for it is the key to speaking and the
basis for the other two, reading and writing. When learning a new language, the best way to do it
is to engage in a balance of each of these areas, as they are all interconnected. if these skills are
not practiced it will end up being weaker. There are several ways of listening, Passive Listening,
Active Listening, and Competitive Listening.
● Active Listening - considered as the most effective because the listener is not only listening with
interest but actively acknowledging the brief responses. One way to become a better listener is to
practice this mode.
● Passive Listening - It can be compared to a rock. You know it is there, you can see it, but it just
seems that it's not absorbing anything that the speaker is saying. A passive listener is mechanical
and effortless. it does not give any feedback from the speaker. These are listeners who are
interested in what the other person is saying and tend to pay attention. They are attentive but
don’t necessarily interact verbally.
● Competitive Listening - Those people who are only half-listening to what is being said, because
they are more focused on how they will respond. Competitive listeners are good listeners but
when they have the chance to jump right in, they will now tell their argument, opinion, or
thought. Usually, they do more talking than listening. Competitive Listening or Combative
Listening happens when we are more interested in promoting our point of view than in
understanding or exploring someone else’s view. Either we listen for opening to take the floor, or
for flaws or weak points then they now go to speak and take the floor.
, 3. Reading: It is a complex skill that is taught when you’re still young as it’s essential for learning
and development and vocabulary. It is also an act or activity of rendering aloud written or printed
material. Reading is also an ability to understand reading material in the form of a paragraph or a
sentence. We used the skill of reading to scan information and understand what the writers
wanted to tell, evaluate what we read and incorporate information from multiple sources.
4. Writing - It is defined as the act or the art of forming letters and characters on paper, wood, stone
or other matera, for the purpose of recording the ideas and information in which characters and
words express or communicate to others by visible signs. In simple terms, writing is anything
written or printed which expresses characters or story in the form of letters.
Communicative Competence
- An individual’s ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in various contexts,
encompassing all aspects of language, including social and cognitive abilities, beyond just
grammar rules.
The Four Views of Language
1. Structuralist : They believe that language can be described in terms that is observable and
verifiable data as it is being used. Language is a system of speech sounds used for human
communication.
- Language is a system of systems, sound is arranged in a certain fixed order to form meaningful
words. Ex: no words will start in bz-lr- or zl but, there are spr-and str-.
- Words are arranged to form meaningful sentences. Ex: subject-verb-object
- Language is a system of structurally related elements: Phonemes-sounds, Morphemes-words,
Tagmemes-Phrases and sentences/clauses.
- Language is arbitrary.
2. Transformationalists ; They believe that language is a system of knowledge made to manifest as
linguistic forms but innate and universal.
- Language is a mental phenomenon
- Language is innate
- Language is Universal
- Language is Creative
3. Functionalists : They believe that language is a dynamic system through which members of a
community exchange information. This view of language emphasizes the meaning and functions
rather than the grammatical characteristics of language rather than structure and grammar.
- Expressing emotions
- Persuade people
- Asking and giving information
- Making people do things for others
