ARTICLES Articles are words that used together with nouns or adjectives. They are regarded as a class of determiner and not a word class. The articles normally in most cases are placed before a noun. Example of articles are a, an, the and zero articles. Look the following examples (i) The car Noun (ii) A … Read more
English has different status in different places of the world. In some places it is used as the first language, in others as the L2 while in others as the national language ENGLISH AS AN INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE English is an international language What are the criteria for a language to be international? The following are … Read more
Language variation implies that there are language varieties. One language may vary from another in aspects such as phonology, grammar, semantic and syntax. Even within a language there are variations. Two variations are: Variation according to users (Dialect). Variation according to use (Register). DIALECT Dialect refers to variation of language according to users. This may … Read more
Language has a number of significances to play in a society. Among them are: Language as a unifying factor Language unifies people in a society or country/nation. It inspires a sense of oneness. For example how Kiswahili unifies people i.e. many tribes in Tanzania. As a factor for national identity There are many elements that … Read more
FUNCTIONS OF LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS OF LANGUAGE Here we answer the question “what is the language used for?” The following are among the common functions of language; Communication function Language is used to facilitate the delivery of information or thoughts from one person to another. For example in class a teacher conveys thoughts/ ideas to students. … Read more
THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE LANGUAGE AND A LANGUAGE Linguistically language refers to a conventional system of arbitrary vocal symbols used by human beings for communication. So here the word language is generic i.e. so general observing the general universal characteristics of language But a language refers to a specific language used … Read more
Linguists mention some characteristics that are unique to language. These are the ones that distinguish language from other sounds/noises made by animals. Animal’s ways of communication are not regarded as language because they lack these qualities. Among them are:- DUALITY Language has two levels. The level of sound and that of meaning. For example … Read more
What is language? The term Language can be defined in different ways as follows: Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols and signs that are conventionally used for human communication OR Language is the conventional system of arbitrary vocal symbols used by human beings for communication KEY TERMS IN THE DEFINITION OF LANGUAGE Language … Read more
HAWA THE BUS DRIVER BY RICHARD S. MABARA HAWA THE BUS DRIVER BY RICHARD S. MABARA TITTLE OF THE BOOK: HAWA THE BUS DRIVER. AUTHOR OF THE BOOK: RICHARD S. MABARA. SETTINGS OF THE BOOK: DAR ES SALAAM – TANZANIA. YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 1988 – 2003. PUBLISHER: LONGMAN GROUP UK Ltd/Ben & company limited. THE … Read more
MABALA THE FARMER BY RICHARD S MABALA MABALA THE FARMER BY RICHARD S MABALA TITLE: Mabala the Farmer AUTHOR: Richard S. Mabala SETTING: Tanzania YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 1998/ No Year of publication PUBLISHER: Longman Group UK Ltd./ Ben and company limited. THE PLOT OF THE BOOK Mabala the farmer is one among the famous short stories ever … Read more