LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE

Understanding a language may lead to formalist and functionalist views of language. One can’t actually separate form from function in the study of any language. They may be like the two sides of a single coin.

Linguists use several different approaches in order to understand or construe language. Those approaches, as Schiffrin (1994) explains, are Speech Act Theory, Interactional Sociolinguistics, Ethnography of Communication, Pragmatics, Conversation Analysis and Variation Analysis.

Speech Act Theory may cover the discussion about how people do an action with words. Austin and Searle are concerned with theory.

Interactional Sociolinguistics covers different tools for any language learner to study a language. This approach may lead to such discussions as code switching/mixing, language alternation/shift, signaling mechanism, appraisal system, politeness strategies, communication strategies, interpersonal negotiation. Possibly this may also lead to adjacency pairs, temporal dimension, experiential meaning, thematic progression.

Ethnography of Communication

Pragmatics

Conversation Analysis, conversation principles

Variation Analysis

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Related posts:

1. Introduction, DA Overview & Definition of DA
2. Approaches to Discourse Analysis
3. Speech Acts Theory
4. CH5a. Approaches to Language Teaching (1)
5. Conversational Analysis