ELTWeekly Vol. 3 Issue#98 | September 19 | ISSN 0975-3036

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Dr. Sitaram Bhargava works with the Department of English, Government College, Jhunjhunu (Rajasthan).

The use of communication skills has become very important in our lives.Without proper communication skills we are losers. Learning a second language is ,in fact, learning the four slills,viz. listening,speaking,reading and writing. The first two skills are intimately related to each other , though one is a recognition skill and the other is a production skill. Also, both skills depend almost entirely on the learner’s knowledge of the pronunciation of words and the articulation of sounds in the language. Language is a means of communicating thoughts and feelings,though not only the means. Cries ,signs,gestures,pictorial representations,etc.,also serves as a means.Animals other than human beings too communicate with another. They employ a variety of methods including vocal signals and body movements as well as facial expressions like the baring of teeth. They stimulate one another to action by means of cries. Many birds utter warning calls at the approach of danger ; some animals make mating calls. Most of the animals utter cries that are expressive of anger, fear pleasure ,etc. But these modes of communication differ from human language. The sound or cries made by animals are not articulate. That is to say, they lack the kind of structure that enables us to divide a human utterance into words; a human language is a signaling system which uses vocal sounds and is based on man’s ability to speak.The written language is derivative and secondary;it is derived from the spoken language.The basis of language is speech which in turn means the production of meaningful sounds according to a system. (more…)