What is this one?
In New South Wales' (in Australia) education system, English is a mandatory subject from Year 7 through to Year 12. Quite a lot, there are people talking about how hard English can be and the point of it being a mandatory subject. However, some others find it a subject they love (including myself). So, in my very first blog post about something, what is the subject English about?
Overview
English is a subject about...English! Yes, you guessed it. But, to get to what English is about, we must first go to the core of what English does.
Communication
English is a language and the English subject is the study of how to control and use the English Language. Language is a form of recognised communication of sounds (I say sounds because they are!) or visual representations of sounds (writing) between people. It is a mode of expression and portraying one's feelings and thoughts to others through the medium of their voice. From a very young age, most of us are fortunate to learn how to make our "goos" and "gahs" into sounds that our parents use. Then how to use those sounds on paper. It is of course vital that there is development into how these are used and how we can express both, written and orally.
Meaning and Understanding
At this stage, it is my belief that the foundation of English lie in the cohesive working of two important parts. These are the "Meaning" and "Understanding" components or "Text" and "Comprehension".
What language is about is being able to express yourself to others and English is a form of that. English involves thinking, whether it be a little or a large amount. By the ability of thinking, we are able to look, hear, taste, touch or smell things and develop an understanding of it. Once an understanding of a specific concept, object or even person is developed, then we are able to make some idea of what we had understood - from which we gain meaning. In English classes, we have our trustworthy teachers to explain to us the meaning (or text, which is a written expression of someone's meaning) so that we may understand it and impart with some meaning from it for ourselves.
Meaning is exactly you want to express. i.e. what ideas are bubbling in your head or what you want to tell your friends! Meaning is brought about through the ability to think. But where do you get the ability to mean something? From gaining an understanding of something. But where do you gain understanding? From something that holds meaning. Where did it really start? I don't know but what I would certainly like to think I know is that English is about those two concepts.
Of course expressing yourself can come in many different forms. We can write a poem, exposition, recount, narrative, discussion, report, orate a speech, poem or song. We can draw, paint and model, film, record or document. There are many possibilities of expressing yourself and what you really are doing is expressing what you want to mean.
What Use is This?
The study of English is learning how to use it. How to use either a technique or form of attempting to have an understanding of someone else's/something's meaning. The converse is true as well, studying how to use a technique or form to be able to express your meaning.
So, what use is studying English? Truth is, you've been studying English (and other things) ever since you were able to use it. To summarise everything very finely,
Study of English = Ability to Express and Understand
Let's take a look in the mathematical context. Maths is about understanding a method to solve problems, but in order to properly explain these methods and concepts - you cannot do it if you do not have the control of language to express it with. Sure you can use numbers but in "7+3 = 10", you have to explain how you did it. You do the math.
In a wider context i.e. the worldly context, if we didn't have a basic comprehension of how to express ourselves and to understand others, then we wouldn't be where we are today. English, in Australia certainly, is just one subject that formalises this.
The Summation
I am quite new to this, so I am not quite developed in being able to express myself clearly and concisely in this (look at the good my studies at English have done so far (!). Basically, I am saying that studying English gives us use in almost every real life situation (I say almost because I am not 100% sure yet!). But studying any Language in another country would do the same, of that I am sure! I know that you may have not understood what I was talking about or I may have run around in circles - worst of all, I lost you entirely! But, I try my best to express myself.
Make some comments if you want! I am open to responses, criticism or comments! Or, as some of my teachers call it, "feedback". But remember, this is a developing aspect of an opinion.
Just A Small Point of View.
Thanks. :)
Meaning and Understanding
At this stage, it is my belief that the foundation of English lie in the cohesive working of two important parts. These are the "Meaning" and "Understanding" components or "Text" and "Comprehension".
What language is about is being able to express yourself to others and English is a form of that. English involves thinking, whether it be a little or a large amount. By the ability of thinking, we are able to look, hear, taste, touch or smell things and develop an understanding of it. Once an understanding of a specific concept, object or even person is developed, then we are able to make some idea of what we had understood - from which we gain meaning. In English classes, we have our trustworthy teachers to explain to us the meaning (or text, which is a written expression of someone's meaning) so that we may understand it and impart with some meaning from it for ourselves.
Meaning is exactly you want to express. i.e. what ideas are bubbling in your head or what you want to tell your friends! Meaning is brought about through the ability to think. But where do you get the ability to mean something? From gaining an understanding of something. But where do you gain understanding? From something that holds meaning. Where did it really start? I don't know but what I would certainly like to think I know is that English is about those two concepts.
Of course expressing yourself can come in many different forms. We can write a poem, exposition, recount, narrative, discussion, report, orate a speech, poem or song. We can draw, paint and model, film, record or document. There are many possibilities of expressing yourself and what you really are doing is expressing what you want to mean.
What Use is This?
The study of English is learning how to use it. How to use either a technique or form of attempting to have an understanding of someone else's/something's meaning. The converse is true as well, studying how to use a technique or form to be able to express your meaning.
So, what use is studying English? Truth is, you've been studying English (and other things) ever since you were able to use it. To summarise everything very finely,
Study of English = Ability to Express and Understand
Let's take a look in the mathematical context. Maths is about understanding a method to solve problems, but in order to properly explain these methods and concepts - you cannot do it if you do not have the control of language to express it with. Sure you can use numbers but in "7+3 = 10", you have to explain how you did it. You do the math.
In a wider context i.e. the worldly context, if we didn't have a basic comprehension of how to express ourselves and to understand others, then we wouldn't be where we are today. English, in Australia certainly, is just one subject that formalises this.
The Summation
I am quite new to this, so I am not quite developed in being able to express myself clearly and concisely in this (look at the good my studies at English have done so far (!). Basically, I am saying that studying English gives us use in almost every real life situation (I say almost because I am not 100% sure yet!). But studying any Language in another country would do the same, of that I am sure! I know that you may have not understood what I was talking about or I may have run around in circles - worst of all, I lost you entirely! But, I try my best to express myself.
Make some comments if you want! I am open to responses, criticism or comments! Or, as some of my teachers call it, "feedback". But remember, this is a developing aspect of an opinion.
Just A Small Point of View.
Thanks. :)
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