Language in any human society, is an important
human heritage. The significance of language in human life cannot be
over-emphasized. It is indeed central not only to our social interactions and
relationships, but also in distinguishing us and enabling others to ascertain
the position in the society. This would explain why people with speech or
hearing disabilities find it difficult to integrate and participate fully in
their communities. What this means is that every language community has
developed unique modes of using its language. At the same time, each language
has been moulded in a special way to serve the needs of the community that
speaks it. In this way, every language is a unique system and therefore, a
resource for humankind. It is because of the many unique systems in each
language that we talk of linguistic diversity. This linguistic diversity, like
bio-diversity, is an important feature of our universe. The many languages
spoken by the various world populations signify the communication problems,
which human societies are likely to face in their day to day interactions.
Today, as a result of globalization, there has
been an increasing need to interact at both official and unofficial levels. In
particular, nationals of different countries have to move from one geographical
region to another, needing a language of communication. In this case, some
languages such as English Language, French, Spanish, German and Arabic have
become what can be described as second language in many communities of the
world. In order words, they have become the language of communication,
interaction and relationship. For this reason, these languages mentioned above,
need to be learnt if we must develop along with others.
Literature and teaching of English language: prospects and challenges: As shown in this study, language is an instrument
of communication, which makes it possible for two or more persons to establish
and sustain a relationship, while literature is a means of communication
through which peoples’ culture is transmitted from generation to generation.
That is, literature represents a written text about a culture over a period of
time, which is preserved as literary heritage. The close connection between
literature (cultural heritage) and language is obvious from the fact that the
former is usually written in a language. Thus, because of this close link,
there is no way the peoples’ culture (literature) can be separated from the
language. From the foregoing, it can be seen that literature, being an aspect
of language, is an important factor in the teaching and understanding of
language. However, in today’s world, language learners see language as a set of
transactions, which is different from literature. This belief has precluded
learners from seeing language as part of literature. The implication of this is
that learning of language as an enterprise is now seen as an uphill task
because the literature, which is supposed to provide the rudiments of language,
is given secondary role and recognition, which indeed is affecting the
proficiency of learners in oral and written aspects of language.
In the light of
the above, one can say that literature is language put to use and therefore,
should be used in teaching language. What this means is that using literature
to teach language will definitely attract some benefits for both the learner
and the teacher. The use of literature often promotes motivation in the
classroom. Through literature, learner’s sense of involvement is developed as
the affective domain of the learner is strengthened. This domain of the
educational development of the learner cannot be taken care of in the English
Language course books except in the three genres of literature namely, prose,
poetry and drama. According to Mcrae (1991), this emotional involvement also
gives the learners the pleasure of using the language imaginatively by making
the learner to free towards the target language, which is English Language in
the context of this study.
Another benefit
from literature is exposing the learner to the culture of the native speakers
of the language. Since, literary texts often reflect practices, culture,
attitudes and beliefs of the native speakers
of the language,
the learner has no option other than assimilating the culture. Literature in
this context enables the students to develop their own perceptions as to how
people of different cultures relate to their experiences and assess them. Such
perceptions help students to see the core of human situations that can occur
cross-culturally. Through literature, beauty and splendor of nature are enjoyed
by the student (reader) as experiences that are not possible in real life
situations are gone through imaginary (Sivasubramaniam, 2006). For example,
going through stories filled with images of love, adventure, war, etc., creates
an outlet for emotion. This therefore, leads to sharper and deeper real life
experiences. These imaginary situations enable the reader (learner) to identify
with others and their experiences. It also enlarges the student’s knowledge of
the world. The opportunity so created by the use of literature makes the
learner to understand that human nature is multi-dimensional. Literature is of
immense help in language learning through extensive reading skills. Reading is
the easiest way of bringing the foreign learner into sustained contact with a substantial
body of the language. If the piece read is interesting, the
language remains
in the mind of the reader. The patterns of collocative and idioms are
established. Extensive reading widens the horizon of the reader in terms of
vocabulary and usage, which invariably promotes the thoughts. There is no doubt
that poor development of vocabulary and language skills has seriously inhibited
development of excellence in literary studies. It is necessary to point out
here that the benefits that could be derived from using literature in a
language class should not be limited to the English class.
Language and literature: Two sides of a coin: If the purpose of
learning a language is communication and literature is communication, then the
two are two sides of a coin, which are not separable (Adesuyi, 1991). The two
aspects i.e., language and literature are used by people in everyday
activities. When people speak, read novels, newspapers, etc., language is being
used to express their thoughts and experiences. As mentioned earlier, The
Long man Dictionary of Contemporary English (2007) defines language as a system
of communication by written or spoken words, which are used by the people of a
particular country or area. This definition shows that the language of a people
reflects their peculiarity as a country or area or society, which is reflected
in their customs, culture, beliefs, traditions, norms and expectations. All
these are usually expressed in the literature texts, especially in the fiction.
The interpretation of this is that language does not develop in a vacuum and
therefore, is part of the culture of a people and the chief means by which the
members of a society communicate. A language therefore, is both a component of
culture and a central network through which other components are expressed
Thus, the study did by looking closely at the
relationship between literature and language. The study observed from the
review of past researches in this area that language and literature are closely
related and that language is the medium through, which culture, beliefs and
traditions of a particular people (literature) are expressed or passed from one
generation to another. Benefits of using literature to teach language,
especially a second language were also highlighted. Some of these benefits
include cultural assimilation, extensive reading (which widens the horizon of
the reader) and development of the effective domain of the student.
Regards
K.K Singh
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