Summary:

The article explores the six main components of language:

1-Phoneme – The smallest unit of sound that distinguishes meaning.

2-Phonology – The arrangement and study of sounds in a language system.

3-Morphology – The structure and formation of words through morphemes, the smallest meaningful units.

4-Syntax – The rules for constructing sentences and word order.

5-Semantics – The study of meanings and how they are conveyed.

6-Pragmatics – The use of language in social contexts and situations.

It also examines the effects of the environment on language development, emphasizing two perspectives:

Information-processing – Combining innate abilities with environmental interactions.

Social Interaction – The role of social experiences in shaping linguistic development, highlighting theories like operant conditioning.

Compositional Components of Language and Environmental Effects on Language Development:

Components of Language:

Linguists have identified six main components of language which are described below.

1- Phoneme:

A phoneme is the basic unit of language that deals with the sounds of the alphabets. A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound that can cause a change in meaning in a language, it has no meaning in itself. Phonemes share the sounds of the alphabet, but a phoneme does not always have a one-to-one relationship with a letter. For example, the word HAT has three phonemes, H, A and T. Similarly, the word SHAPE has five alphabets but only three phonemes. First - SH, second - A and third- P. The English language has about 45 different phonemes associated with different alphabets or letter combinations. A phoneme has a specific pronunciation in one word and may have a different pronunciation in another word.

2- Phonology:

Phonology is the branch of language that deals with the arrangement and organization of sounds in a language. It focuses on the study of phonological systems. It also involves linguistic analysis whether at the level of a word or at the level of language where sound is perceived to convey the meaning of language. Phonetics also includes the study of equivalent sign systems. Phonology deals with the system of sounds, the basic system of a language. A distinction is often made between phonology and phonetics. Phonetic is concerned with phonological communication while the knowledge of phonology describes the method through which sounds work in language to provide meaning. Phonetics is Descriptive Linguistics while phonology is related to Theoretical Linguistics.

3- Morphology:

Morphology is the Greek term, Morph means form and Ology means the study of something. Morphemes include the basic words as cat, cow, dog, goat and prefixes as Un or RE. Morphology is related to vocabulary development and it represents the smallest units of language. The basic unit of morphology is called morpheme which is the smallest and meaningful unit of language. Morpheme is the name of the series of sounds which have specific meaning. Some morphemes are independent they have their own meaning in terms of meaning, like Eat and Water - some morphemes are prefixes and suffixes that are not complete words but have a semiotic effect, like the letter S in Cats and Re in Replay. The prefix of which changes the meaning of the word itself.

4- Syntax:

Syntax is concerned with the structure of the sentence and determines which words will be placed in which place. The study of syntax helps to understand the rules of how language works. It is believed that there are few laws that apply to all languages. Syntax is the set of rules by which words are combined to form complete sentences. Every language has different syntax rules. The smallest forms of sentences in English are Noun and Verb, adjectives and auxiliary verbs can be added to the sentence for additional meaning. The order of words in a language is very important. For example, Ahmad ate apple and Apple ate Ahmad these two sentences are not the same although the same words are used in both. In this way the meaning also changes with the order of the words.

5- Semantics:

Semantics is the study of meanings in a language. That is, what is the meaning, how is the meaning created in the language, how do we understand the language? One reason for the use of language is to convey meaning from one person to another. And semantics covers these things and point out the ways through which language gives meanings.

6- Pragmatics:

Pragmatics is the study of human actions, thoughts and linguistic gestures (words, sentences) in real situations. It means the ways, through which the people of any society use the language. The way children talk to their parents can not talk to their friends in that way. The style of everyday conversation is completely different from the language of a book.

To know the difference between these two styles of conversation and using it according to the situation is called Pragmatics.

What are the effects of environment on language development?

Environmental Influences on Language:

Language development is never a static process, it is constantly evolving. A child's environment also has a significant impact on language development, this concept is described in behaviorist theory. According to B. F. Skinner, a supporter of this theory, language is acquired in the same way that any other behavior is acquired through operant conditioning. Learning in operant conditioning refers to the change in behavior that occurs through interaction. In language development, operant conditioning occurs when a child makes a sound and repeats it after a response from its guardian. This repetition may even result in a smile. This process prompts the child to repeat the word and associate it with an object. This operant conditioning combined with imitation leads to rapid language development.

Another approach explains the relationship between heritability and environmental influences. Two sub-groups are found under this approach.

1- Information-processing perspective:

Some experts believe that children understand complex language through intuitive mental abilities and environmental experiences. They agree with biological theories that children are born with an amazing ability to evaluate language that contributes to language development.

2- Social Interaction Perspective:

Interactionist theorists believe that social gradients and linguistic experiences are crucial for language development. A child with ability of language learning try to convey to others what he wants to say. In this attempt parents and other adults express their experiences which help the child in language development.