ES concepto holístico de lengua / CAT concepte holístic de llengua / FR concept holistique de la langue / DE ganzheitliches Sprachkonzept

The concept of ‘language as a whole’ means considering language as a system consisting of different parts whose integration yields a whole, a unit which is larger than just the sum of every part. Goodman (1976) illustrates this concept in the title (which is a question) of his book What’s whole in whole language? The answer to this question makes explicit the holistic nature of language: “Language is language only if it is a whole.”

This perspective results from the application of the holistic scientific theory to the study of language. This epistemological view, dating as far back as the Classical Greek philosophers, has been applied to many fields. The adjective ‘holistic’ comes from the Greek word ὅλος (transcribed hólos), meaning ‘totality.’ Holism states that any system and its properties must be analyzed as a whole, not separately; a simple analysis of each separate part will not account satisfactorily for the functioning of the system. In this respect, Halliday (1978) conceives language as a semiotic system. In his explanation, the creation of meaning through linguistic resources takes priority over attention to forms.

A foreign languages curriculum whose aims are designed from this holistic perspective should be based on working with texts. These texts are conceived as communication mediators between the interlocutors, and only gain their complete meaning when they are subjected to the interpretation of their receptor (reader or listener); it is necessary, therefore, to look beyond the limits of mere sentence or statement. From the didactic point of view, because the communication act always implies a specific option among the different formal possibilities offered by the system, it is always within the frame of text grammar that the necessary attention to form must be paid.

In order for the different linguistic concepts to be appropriately understood within the textual frame, this perspective advocates that work should be based on typologies and discourse genres and, within the latter, on the functionality of the particular linguistic concepts involved. This work should enable the learner to bear in mind both the pragmatic and the linguistic standards of the genre or type of text considered (López Ferrero & Martín Peris 2013) while also adopting an interlinguistically contrastive approach (Esteve & Martín Peris 2013).

References

  • Esteve, Olga y Martín Peris, Ernesto (2013). Cuestiones de autonomía en el aula de lenguas extranjeras. Barcelona: ICE-Horsori.
  • Goodman, Kenneth (1976). What’s whole in whole language? Georgetown (ON): Starbooks distribution.
  • Halliday, Michael A. K. (1978). Language as Social Semiotic: The Social Interpretation of Language and Meaning. Baltimore, MD: University Park Press.
  • López Ferrero, Carmen y Martín Peris, Ernesto (2013). Textos y aprendizaje de lenguas. Elementos de Lingüística textual para profesores de ELE. Madrid, SGEL.