Page - 39 - in Reflective Cosmopolitanism - Educating towards inclusive communities through Philosophical Enquiry

ELLA (MANUAL) 39 ELLA (MANUAL) Episode 1 Leading Idea 1: Language Isaac is new in school, he is in a foreign country and he enters into an alien language. Isaac’s parents migrated from South Africa and so their son has to find new ways to communicate. He grows up in two cultures, and therefore it is extremely difficult for him. Having migrated to Austria, he finds himself surrounded by children that do not understand his language. Although he knows some German, the children in his class understand only phrases. On the one hand, he is very happy to go to school to find new friends, but on the other hand, it is difficult because he cannot make himself understood. All languages are sign systems and the term ‘language’ is used as a synonym for the sign system. There are many different sign systems, for example: mathematical sign sys- tems, musical notations, computer sign systems, etc. Language can be seen as a system of signs that expresses ideas. We differentiate be- tween semantics, which tells us the meaning of the sign; pragmatics, which tells us about its use; and syntax, which tells us about the rules and form of the sign system. The human language is a unique and highly elaborate system – a complex system of communication. We do not choose the languages into which we are born. Some of us acquire several languages naturally, because of the multilingual communities we live in. Migrants often have to learn additional languages because they live in a new country with a different language. Many of us make a deliberate effort to learn additional languages. But not all people have equal access to the languages they need or would like to learn. But what is language? What attitudes do we have towards the different languages? Are some lan- guages more logical or more beautiful than others? What do all languages rely on? 1. What is language? 2. What does the word ‘language’ mean? 3. What kinds of languages do you know? 4. What forms of languages do you know? 5. Are all languages equal? 6. Do only people have language? 7. What does language consist of? Discussion Plan: Speaking – language – communication 1. If people do not speak the same language, is it possible for them to communicate with each other? • If so, how can they communicate with one another if they do not speak the same language? • If not, why do you think it is not possible to communicate with one another if you do not speak the same language?