Microsoft Word Revised Syllabus Ver doc

The Instrument of Thought 
 
People often feel the need to speak their thoughts aloud. If asked why they do it, they 
reply that it helps their concentration. Authors often make similar remarks about the need to 
get a first draft down on paper, in order to see whether what they have written corresponds to 
what they had in mind. Perhaps the most common use of language as an instrument of 
thought is found when people perform mathematical calculations ‘in their head’. 
Several theories have been proposed concerning the role of language as the instrument 
of thought. Lev Semenovich Vygotsky, the Russian psychologist argued that the concept of 
‘inner speech’ is a mental use of words to evoke a sequence of thoughts. 
 
 

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8 
The Expression of Identity 
Our use of language can tell our listener or reader a great deal about ourselves and in 
particular, about our regional origins, social background, level of education, occupation, age, 
sex and personality. The way language is used to express these variables is so complex. The 
general point that can be made here is that a major function of language is the expression of 
personal identity through the signaling of who we are and where we ‘belong’. These signals 
enter into the whole of our linguistic behavior, so much so that it is often a problem 
distinguishing the identifying function of language.
Prescriptivism 
Prescriptivism is the view that one variety of language has an inherently higher value 
than others, and that this ought to be imposed on the whole of the speech community. The 
view is propounded especially in relation to grammar and vocabulary, and frequently with 
reference to pronunciation. The variety, which is favoured, in this account is usually a version 
of the ‘standard’ written language especially as encountered in literature, or in the formal 
spoken language which most closely reflects this style. 
Diglossia 
Perhaps the clearest use of varieties as markers of social structure is in the case of 
diglossia - a language situation in which two markedly divergent varieties, each with its own 
set of social functions, coexist as standards throughout a community.
The functional distinction between the high and low varieties is generally clear-cut. 
The high variety is used in such contexts as sermons, lectures, speeches, news broadcasts, 
proverbs, newspaper editorials and traditional poetry. It is a language that has to be learned in 
school. The low variety is used in everyday conversation and discussion radio ‘soap operas’, 
cartoon captions, folk literature and other informal contexts.