1 The components of language

If you studied science at school, you will remember that you can take a micro- or macroscopic perspective on nature, looking at it from near or far. You can investigate the subject in question by looking at smaller and smaller parts, for example by looking at the human body, then the organs within it, the organ tissues, their cells and the atoms they are composed of.

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Figure 2 Microscopic perspective

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This image shows, in simple cartoon style, a human body. Magnifying glass icons then depict smaller and smaller components – lungs, lung tissue, cells, atoms.

Figure 2 Microscopic perspective

But you can also explore the surrounding environment by looking at bigger and bigger contexts, for example an ecosystem, the planet, the solar system or the wider universe.

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Figure 3 Macroscopic perspective

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This image shows, in simple cartoon style, a human stood beside a telescope. Telescope icons then depict bigger and broader contexts – the local geography, the planet, the solar system.

Figure 3 Macroscopic perspective

In a way, studying language is really no different to this. Learning to master a language requires skills and knowledge that relate to the big picture, as well as the smallest details. Imagine a camera lens – you need to be able to ‘zoom in’ and ‘zoom out’ to look at things in different ways. Activity 1 will check your understanding of the components of language and their relative sizes.

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Figure 4 Linguistic perspective

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This image applies the perspective concepts from Figures 2 and 3 to language. Two cartoon figures are having a conversation, with speech bubbles above them. Magnifying glass icons then zoom into the speech bubbles, showing smaller and smaller components of language: a paragraph, a sentence, a word, a letter.

Figure 4 Linguistic perspective