Essay on Language as a Communication, Transformation and Cultural Tool: The Case of English Language

Introduction

Language transformations and developments are the characteristic aspects of a cultural evolution. Language is very integral feature in culture. The English language has grown and transformed effectively to accommodate global outlook, thereby recognizing the regional differences and consolidating them into its growth. The English Language remains an effective tool for the transmission of culture, values, and beliefs as it is recognized as a global language. English in the media is related to the various forms of transmission mainly internet, radio, television, etc (Sharma & Mahavidhalaya, 2015) that affect a person based on his interaction in the form of listening to the defined sources of media. The various sources of print and electronic media pertaining to the the use of English language and their impacts on the learners and speakers have been discussed in this paper.

English in global diverse societies

English has grown to become one of the most adopted language globally, with each global community aspects being formalized and getting consolidation into the mainstream media. Adaptation mechanisms and imaginative reuse of media content in various forms of social contact are embodied in ideas such as ‘appropriation,’ about which an increasing body of evidence exists. Rampton’s (1995) now definitive analysis of language crossover, which involves media bits, also indicates several contextual relations in terms of ‘liminoidal practices’ –that are voluntary and inconclusive practices typical of post-industrialist societies– (Papadimitriou, 2017) to compensate for where such theft might take place: stolen media pieces were sometimes found to appear at successful boundaries in speech. People whether they are native English speakers or others witness change in their linguistic knowledge based on the usage of language on broadcast media. The debates and segments, which involve greater interaction involving speakers exhibit rhetorical influence influencing the reform processes of language (Smith-Stuart, 2017). The speakers of language go through long-term implications based on such reform processes, however, these issues need consideration.

In variationist sociolinguistics, the media’s position in language change has been viewed very differently. Language is regarded in terms of two categories of linguistic features: (1) those that are more available, vulnerable to change, and often above the level of consciousness, especially lexical features; (2) those that are more resistant to change, mostly, but not always below the level of consciousness, such as phonetic/phonological, and other grammatical features. (Smith-Stuart, 2017). The role of television and films without any interaction with the speakers can bring about any change in the structure of language is debatable.

Moreover, in the contemporary period, the internet has revolutionized the whole World.

As Online Informal Learning of English (OILE) work includes researching a variety of Internet-based, communicative recreational experiences from which learners are introduced to media information and communicate in English with others. Researchers have attempted to define the variety of practices involved, measure the degree of access to the target vocabulary, and describe the systems most commonly presented to learners. (Kusyk & Sockett, 2012) Such practices involve streaming original version TV shows online, social interaction in

English music, and listening to the trendy English-language songs.

The theoretical context of Complex Hierarchical Processes sees access to a language and the acquisition of that language as requiring a wide number of overlapping parameters in both the psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics domains (Kusyk & Sockett, 2012). This viewpoint often sees language as build-based, which is consistent with cognitive language learning views.

A variety of initial theories have been established as research on the online informal learning of English progresses from the study of a sociological trend (casual exposure to media) to the evaluation of the subsequent language production. Peter Trudgill has given the impact of television on language in his work, which is followed by theorists and analysts. According to Trudgill, language acts as a centralized executor (Stuart-Smith, 2007). Change is the spread or dissemination of linguistic advancements across geographical locations. It is believed that diffusion takes place via linguistic adaptation, whereby individuals may change their expression in response to those they talk to. As a consequence of socio-psychological mechanisms that occur during direct interaction between speakers, diffusion can thus be called the transmission of linguistic features (Stuart-Smith, 2007). People are prone to adapt to linguistics changes based on the language used on television.

It has always been agreed that speakers should choose expressions and catch-phrases. But there has been some controversy about how to perceive language without contact, as though viewing movies or TV might cause improvement in the systemic language. Various occurrences of linguistic features in the variationist method are associated with descriptions of linguistic and social influences through numerous domains, enabling the recognition of community phenomena, although always at a distance from the particular interactional sense in which every single resource exists (Stuart-Smith, 2017). Within this context, methodological associations have been made between systemic characteristics and stages of interaction with broadcast media, e.g. utilizing more common linguistic modes or

TH-fronting in soap operas based in Glaswegian and London. (Stuart-Smith, 2017)

English and the modern media

The media today has advanced strategically, thereby incorporating the context language and cultural recognition. English is one language that has gained most in the electronic and media. Television suits with such a paradigm inconveniently: when we watch TV, it is believed we cannot communicate with characters on TV in such a sense that accommodation is likely to occur and, therefore, television may not be directly involved in the diffusion process. Trudgill agrees that TV can serve as a source of new lexicons and idioms, or as a template for language learners to develop the main phonology and syntax of a language’s conventional diversity, but these improvements involve deliberate encouragement from speakers to focus and adopt such a pattern.

Nonetheless, linguistic shifts that are difficult to understand through diffusion can still be observed. In addressing the presentation of [f] for /th/ in e.g. think, referred to as TH-fronting, a characteristic usually linked with London dialects, in relatively working-class communicators in Norwich, Trudgill himself is dealing with precisely the above. He indicates that the shift is the product of a range of factors that function together, including fewer open communication opportunities between Norwich speakers and London speakers, but he also argues on the possible role of London-based television programs in fostering positive feelings towards London dialect features. Television may act as a part of a “softening-up” cycle contributing to mergers [of /f/ with /th/] being implemented, but it may not trigger it’.

(Stuart-Smith, 2007)

The prevailing view seems to be that because we can not communicate with television characters in the same manner as our colleagues, neighbors, and coworkers, identified TV accents are unlikely to affect our discourse. Simultaneously, and perhaps unexpectedly for any field of linguistics rooted in experimental knowledge, there is an exceptional discussion of proof (Stuart-Smith, 2007). In fact, in such a conversation, there is a concern as to what might count as evidence. Even linguistic views about media’s implications on language tend to be based on private, anecdotal, or evidence in the case. For instance, linguists focusing on American English accents point to the continuing diversity of American accents as strong evidence that television does not encourage linguistic reform (i.e., standardization of some sort). Whereas the same statement can be extended fairly – and correctly – to British English dialects, it can not be used to claim that television can not affect language at all (Stuart-Smith, 2007). The problem is that there is a lack of systematic evidence.

Thus, television can be able to affect the conventional view of structural dialect changes, but mainly through shifting attitudes towards various forms of linguistics. It has also been stated, drawing on the findings of sociological research on the more specific dissemination of developments, that although TV may improve the knowledge of innovations among speakers, it is less likely to encourage their adoption (Stuart-Smith, 2007). This could then clarify how, for example, English language speakers have acquired an increased understanding of standard

English forms through media distribution but without simply embracing advanced features.

Apart from more recent German scholarships, most linguists tend to consider any potential television appearance as quite poor, likely providing knowledge about linguistic variability, proposing alternate linguistic models, and influencing attitudes towards established varieties. (Stuart-Smith, 2007) .

In particular, watching films helps enhance listening skills and improves vocabulary. Subtitles and closed captioning may help children speed up reading. Therefore, films can also be used useful in developing competencies in writing and oral presentation. Along the same section, movies can be used as a valuable educational tool for numerous other essential skills such as speaking, repeating dialogues, dramatic scenery enactments, writing scripts, and dialogues (Sharma & Mahavidhalaya, 2015). Overall, electronic media works as a useful tool for language learning along with its alteration.

Newspaper headlines generally constitute a specific genre, and as such they manifest certain tendencies that reflect the style called headlines. Some common characteristics can be identified in the headlines of newspapers and they are closely linked to their roles. They are aiming at getting the attention of the reader with a minimum of words. Their type, structure, and word usage play an important role in drawing the attention of the readers and thereby affecting their selection of posts. For the front-page headlines which sell newspapers, this remains even true (Bedrichova, 2006). For gaining massive attention of readers, the headlines used can coin new words, bring in changes in already accepted vocabulary and rearrange concepts and lexical terms.

The multiplicity of local languages and communities of several multilingual countries of the world allows the option of a national language complicated for sustainable development purposes. The English language, converted from its original role as an international language ( EFL), has since acquired the position of a second language ( ESL) in several former British colonies, of which Nigeria is one, and therefore suits the role as the language of broader contact (LBC) (Naji & Owolabi, 2013). The print media is quite active in enabling people to develop comprehensible global knowledge through the usage of English as a second language.

Throughout the mainstream media of advertising, English can be used successfully to galvanize the public into engaging throughout national growth through introducing a standard of language that is intelligible to the plurality of citizens who are users of social media goods through interpreting knowledge as news written in mass media (Owolabi & Nnaji, 2013).

English is used as a standard for public networking purposes for balanced national growth in many emerging multilingual nations of the world. In order to achieve national integration and growth in a mutually intelligible way for all users of mass media content (Owolabi & Nnaji, 2013), English should be properly adopted and domesticated in the different mass media across the various ethnic divides.

The Canadian Multiculturalism Act was enacted in 1988. But, following the 1991 Broadcasting Act resolution, blacks and other prominent minorities in Canada are still misrepresented in the mass media, particularly in the print media. The mass media places aboriginals and other persons of color as ‘others’ inside Canada ‘s multicultural culture by either an act of negligence or order. They also maintained the rhetoric of ‘otherness’ through a persistent derogatory representation of blacks and other identifiable minorities. (Ojo, 2006) The usage of language in media is multifaceted as it is employed for ethical and cultural meaning formation as well along with its other roles.

These ethnic media are [re]building their sense of identity in the progressive national media such as the Globe, Mail, and National Post, in comparison to their illustrated identities (Ojo, 2006). Montreal Group Touch, an ethnic newspaper of the black community in Montreal, is used as a case study to examine the cumulative socio-political influences of such ethnic print media on the social structures and cultural identities in Canada.

Conclusion and Future Implications

Any form of a long-term linguistic shift may be affected by interacting with public media, but these developments need clarification. The empirical secret to understanding the processes of media impact on systemic linguistic change is in the linkages between form, language, and broadcast media, while the linguistic elements in question are core elements of grammar, such as improvements over time to fine-grained forms of speech, sometimes below the point of drawbacks. Specifically, perspectives from interactional media and language research taken in combination with a sociolinguistics of the ‘third phase,’ and particularly the ‘index area,’ will bridge the intellectual divide between what seems to be various types of phenomena at various language rates on the surface.

The linguistic differences of all sorts in daily interactions between speakers can be related to more complex structures of language in the media, through mutual or conflicting arrays of social meaning which applies to language diversity (Smith-Stuart, 2017). Interestingly, such a method often properly brings phonological transition within the wider area of sociolinguistics development, because the documentation of these improvements requires both an understanding of sociolinguistics phenomena and of their incorporating the wider theoretical framework and renegotiating the nature of culture over time.

Within the approach of a construction-based aspect of knowledge, the assumption that language acquisition has been consistently illustrated leads to a testable theory about the nature of interest in language learning, since interest to meaning instead of form is common in informal education. Since constructions are taught in this manner, they are often likely to be evident in the development activities. User engagement at OILE is extensive, and learners have exposure to a broad variety of activities (Kusyk & Sockett, 2012). While it does not entail solely a deliberate decision to learn English, there are many factors at work that need more study, as does the progression of such forces over time. Moreover, the effect of OILE on vocabulary, which some teachers attest, should also be investigated empirically in the future.

References

Bedrichova, L. (2006). Headlines and Subheadlines in Newspaper Reporting: Based on Discourse Analysis of Newspaper Articles in the Guardian (December 2005-February 2006) (Doctoral dissertation, MA thesis]. Brno: Urbanova, CSc. Retrieved from: https://is.muni.cz/th/39753/ff_m/Diplomova_prace.pdf.

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