Postulates on the English language

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The English Language -- (includes some postulates)

On reading, teaching and using the English language.

Definition of "postulate" for this report: "A statement assumed to be true for the purpose
of an argument or a discussion."

This primer is an attempt to summarize and present the author's views on the use of the
English language in a simple but complete way. We will try to keep it free from jargon or
technical terms which might be misunderstood by readers. It is aimed at those in the general
public who are interested in the subject.

Assumptions for the purpose of this primer:

The purpose of language is to transfer and/or store information
Information takes many forms. It can be knowledge, ideas, facts, theories, concepts, suppositions or whatever.
Language can be generated by speech, signing (gesturing), writing or drawing.
Language can be received by three of our five senses: seeing, hearing and touching.
People have a natural ability and desire to communicate.
Seeing, hearing and touching are absolutely natural.
Language is made of words, pictures and gestures.
The words, pictures and gestures stand for ideas in the head of the speaker or writer.
There is no way of knowing if man first communicated by speaking or gesturing. That means we can't
say that one is more natural than the other. Nor can we say that one is built-into our wiring and the other
is built upon that primary method.
If language was first communicated by spoken sounds, writing was probably an attempt to present those
spoken sounds in written form.
That written form (symbols) could have focused on one or more of the following (A) individual sounds
(what we now call phonemes), (B) a blending of sounds (what we know call syllables), (C) words, (D) a
combinations of words (which we now call phrases or sentences). All of these, (A to D) have ben used by humans.
The written form, whether it be A, B, C or D, usually does not have a one-to-one relationship with the spoken form.
That is, any symbol, such as an "a" may be related to a few spoken sounds. This has to be true -- because it is
unreasonable to assume that each speaker of the language used precisely the same sounds. There must have
been variations by person and by geographical place.
Words can be spoken, written or signed.
Spoken words are heard.
Written and signed words are seen.
All words stand for ideas. If I use the word "table", I am attempting to convey my idea of a table.
Some people are naturally more skilled at generating language than others.
Some people are naturally more skilled at receiving language than others.
The language skills of every person can be increased by learning in any one of a number of ways:
trial and error, direct instruction, reading, hearing, contemplation or whatever.
It is good to increase your language skills.
Good language skills usually leads to a better ability to acquire knowledge and that ability usually
leads to a better life. Knowledge is power.
Reading is most broadly defined as taking in information through the sense of sound or touch.
Reading may or may not be accompanied by speaking the words being read.
Most reading by fluent readers is done silently.
Fluent readers can read faster than they speak: about three times as fast.
Fluent readers can usually read words they have never seen or heard previously, even though
they may not know how to pronounce a specific new word or know what that word means.
New words are usually learned by hearing those words or seeing those words in the context of
other written or spoken words. In general, words can't be easily learned if they are standing alone.
At any level of reading skill, a reader or listener will know generally if a word they hear is new -- or if they know it.
All readers and listeners should work to develop their ability to quickly learn new words when heard or seen.
Reading teachers should help students learn how to develop the ability to independently learn new words they hear or see.

SPOKEN AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE

Spoken sentences are generally built of four components in a building block arrangement. The components are:
(1) Sentences
(2) Words
(3) Syllables
(4) Speech-sounds

An analysis of spoken sentences -- from the whole to the parts:
(1) Spoken sentences are made up of words.
(2) Words are made up of syllables.
(3) Syllable are made of speech-sounds.

An analysis of spoken sentences -- from the parts to the whole:
(1) Speech-sounds are used to make syllables.
(2) Syllables are used to make words.
(3) Words are used to make spoken sentences.
Or: Speech Sounds >>>> Syllables >>>>> Words >>>> Sentences.

Spoken language is usually produced as a stream of sound with natural breaks only at the
end of sentences. There are usually no breaks atthe ends of syllables, words or phonemes.
The fluent listener does not consciously hear any breaks, but does know that the spoken stream is
made up of words and that those words are made up of syllables and speech-sounds in order.

Beginning readers may or may not know that:
(1) Spoken sentences are made up of individual words.
(2) Words are made up of individual syllables.
(3) Syllables are made up of individual speech-sounds.

Many expert, reputable teachers and linguists are certain it is a good idea to explicitly
and systematically teach beginners #1 to #3 directly above. They claim that students
who do not know those facts may have a difficult time reading fluently. These experts claim to
have solid data to back up these claims.

It is basically because of these claims that the state of California and the federal government
have mandated that all school children should be taught these three things in an explicit and s
ystematic process, They call it "phonemic awareness".

TEACHING BEGINNING READERS ABOUT SPEECH-SOUNDS
Speech-sound material should primarily be used to teach beginning readers that:
(A) spoken words are made up of speech-sounds and syllables. Beginning readers should also be taught
(B) that language and the words in that language are primarily used to stand for ideas and to enable us to
transfer or communicate those ideas from person to person in the form of spoken or written language.

Note that we are not saying that written words stand for sounds. Some very intelligent teachers think
that it is sometimes counter-productive to tell beginning readers that written words stand for sounds,
because some beginning readers may take that statement literally and will feel internally insecure when
they can't hear sounds as they look at written words. These teachers think it is much better to tell all
readers that written words stand directly for ideas in the same way that spoken words stand directly for ideas.

Once a student gets (learns and internalizes) the basic idea that language and the words in that language
are based on specific speech-sounds, it is doubtful to the authors that there will ever be a need for the students
to think about speech-sounds again -- except if they become teachers or linguists or if they want to work out the
pronunciation of a word that is new to them.

Martn R. Carbone 10/4/07