Language in Use 39-40
This unit is concerned with the intimate relationship set up between language
and what it is used to describe. It points to the limitations of language when
used unaided to convey information. It explores the fact that anyone who sets
out to give a complete working description of some action will always rely upon
his audience being able both to see what he describes and to relate his words
to his actions as he performs them. The unit can be used with an activity
such as:
(a) dissecting a rat or frog
(b) making crystals
(c) making a microscopic slide
(d) setting up a film-projector
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Someone familiar with the activity chosen has to carry it out in front of the class. He gives a full running commentary as he does so, and this is tape-recorded. The activity is then carried out by the class in small groups, using only the tape-recording of the running commentary for guidance. More than one tape-recorder will be needed by a big class, but should only one be available some of the class can act as observers and note down any difficulties which the others meet when they try to perform the task.
[2] Each group now plans a similar demonstration to present to the rest of the class, and the remainder of the session will be required for preparing and rehearsing this.
[3] The object of this session is to show how far the demonstrations
rely upon something other than words. Each group presents its demonstration,
giving a running commentary to be tape-recorded as in [1], and then the class
should choose one of these and use it as their guide in performing the same
activity. The next step is to make a close study of the tape recording
which the class has used. Particular points to note include:
(a) knowledge not generally available
(b) reference to anything not actually described in the tape
(c) failure to allow time to grasp what is unfamiliar.
The class can go on to explore in detail why, in particular cases, technical terms are used, what effects their use achieves, and what precise difficulties they cause. This can help them to see that terms are not always avoidable. The original demonstration in [1] can be given by the teacher, or a colleague or a student, but careful briefing is necessary. The demonstrator must make his running commentary as explicit as possible, naming each component he uses or touches as he does so. The unit is usable with a very wide range of activities, which can be chosen to suit the class, but some apparently very simple tasks do not lend themselves to this treatment. Those calling for intricate work with the fingers such as casting-on for knitting, are not usually suitable.
Related topics are explored in Al, 7, 8.