The Language Game
A language-game (German: Sprachspiel) is a philosophical concept developed by Ludwig Wittgenstein, referring to simple examples of language use and the actions into which the language is woven. Wittgenstein argued that a word or even a sentence has meaning only as a result of the "rule" of the "game" being played. Depending on the context, for example, the utterance "Water!" could be an order, the answer to a question, or some other form of communication.
The Language Game
In his work Philosophical Investigations (1953), Ludwig Wittgenstein regularly referred to the concept of language-games.[1] Wittgenstein rejected the idea that language is somehow separate and corresponding to reality, and he argued that concepts do not need clarity for meaning.[2] Wittgenstein used the term "language-game" to designate forms of language simpler than the entirety of a language itself, "consisting of language and the actions into which it is woven" (PI 7) and connected by family resemblance (Familienähnlichkeit). The concept was intended "to bring into prominence the fact that the speaking of language is part of an activity, or a form of life," (PI 23) which gives language its meaning.
Wittgenstein develops this discussion of games into the key notion of a language-game. He introduces the term using simple examples,[3] but intends it to be used for the many ways in which we use language.[4] The central component of language games is that they are uses of language, and language is used in multifarious ways. For example, in one language-game, a word might be used to stand for (or refer to) an object, but in another the same word might be used for giving orders, or for asking questions, and so on. The famous example is the meaning of the word "game". We speak of various kinds of games: board games, betting games, sports, "war games". These are all different uses of the word "games". Wittgenstein also gives the example of "Water!", which can be used as an exclamation, an order, a request, or an answer to a question. The meaning of the word depends on the language-game within which it is being used. Another way Wittgenstein puts the point is that the word "water" has no meaning apart from its use within a language-game. One might use the word as an order to have someone else bring you a glass of water. But it can also be used to warn someone that the water has been poisoned. One might even use the word as code by members of a secret society.
Wittgenstein does not limit the application of his concept of language games to word-meaning. He also applies it to sentence-meaning. For example, the sentence "Moses did not exist" (79) can mean various things. Wittgenstein argues that independently of use the sentence does not yet 'say' anything. It is 'meaningless' in the sense of not being significant for a particular purpose. It only acquires significance if we fix it within some context of use. Thus, it fails to say anything because the sentence as such does not yet determine some particular use. The sentence is only meaningful when it is used to say something. For instance, it can be used so as to say that no person or historical figure fits the set of descriptions attributed to the person that goes by the name of "Moses". But it can also mean that the leader of the Israelites was not called Moses. Or that there cannot have been anyone who accomplished all that the Bible relates of Moses, etc. What the sentence means thus depends on its context of use.
These meanings are not separated from each other by sharp boundaries, but blend into one another (as suggested by the idea of family resemblance). The concept is based on the following analogy: The rules of language are analogous to the rules of games; thus saying something in a language is analogous to making a move in a game. The analogy between a language and a game demonstrates that words have meaning depending on the uses made of them in the various and multiform activities of human life. (The concept is not meant to suggest that there is anything trivial about language, or that language is "just a game".)
Birds sing. Green monkeys have separate alarm calls for snakes and leopards. Some chimps and parrots can mimic human speech. Many animal species communicate in ways that are important to their survival. Why, then, are humans the only animals with advanced language skills? In their eminently readable new book The Language Game, Morten H. Christiansen and Nick Chater wrestle with that question.
Having developed this analysis of world-thought-language, and relyingon the one general form of the proposition, Wittgenstein can nowassert that all meaningful propositions are of equal value.Subsequently, he ends the journey with the admonition concerning whatcan (or cannot) and what should (or should not) be said (7), leavingoutside the realm of the sayable propositions of ethics, aesthetics,and metaphysics.
This is a fun game! All you need is to use a ball as a prop. This is a fast-paced game despite the fact that it allows students to be quick in their responses. The main benefit of playing this game is that it encourages peer learning.
To play the game, you need to arrange students in a large circle. Choose a theme or a category like games, colors, etc. each student will have to name one word within the chosen category and then pass the ball to the next student.
Each student needs to come up with a unique word related to the category. If they are unable to do it or repeat the word, that student will have to sit on the sidelines. The student who remains standing in the game will be the winner.
To begin this game, write down simple verbs in English and the teammates have to guess the word in the second language with the action of the fellow team player. Keep an estimated time of 3 minutes for every turn. For each correct word, the team receives a point. The team with the first 10 points will win.
Now arrange the objects on the desk. Let the students look at the objects for 3 minutes. Then cover the objects and send students back to their seats. Students will write the names of all the objects they can remember in the second language they are learning.
Choose a random alphabet, to begin with. Write that letter on the board, and students will have an estimated time to write down words starting with that particular letter in the second language. If a student writes a unique word he would get 10 points for it. If the word is repeated by another student they both get 5 points and so on. Repeat it 5-6 times.
So this game is all too similar to the 20 objects. But the major difference is that it is played with visual clues. Divide the class into two teams. Or you can even pair up the students. Now hand over each pair/team an object. Let them think about the related words that best describe the object. After they have written it, swap the papers with other teams/pairs.
All you need to do is ask the students to make bingo sheets with a 4x4 grid (or as required). Write down the words on the board in learning language so that students can copy them as they please. The student who finishes marketing the entire page will be the first winner. This game is pretty simple and interesting to play even at home with your parents.
Begin by giving each team a colored marker and draw a line in the middle of the whiteboard. Write a topic on the top in the learning language. Now let each team continue with as many words as they require related to the top written word. It will form a relay race.
This is called my bluff game. A basic interaction game that allows students and teachers to get acquainted with each other in a fun way. It also helps to improve speaking skills which is an added benefit.
It may sound cliche, but Simon says it is as old a game as it gets. But it's the best game for young learners. Young age groups learn best by imitation. And this is what Simon says is all about. It helps improve the vocabulary and builds muscle memory too.
You may have played the online version of this game at some point in your life. But this game in a classroom can be one of the easy ways to let students learn new vocabulary in their learning language.
As compared to other un games mentioned above, this one is a simple one. But you need to play it with your student in the learning language. So if you are taking online classes, this is the best way to engage students in learning new words or taking a quiz in a fun way.
Have you played a criminal case? It is an online game on Facebook where a scene is reviewed with hidden objects. The player has to find the objects mentioned. This game is exactly similar to a criminal case.
If you are looking to make your students learn the language in an interesting game, you do not need a lot of props. Even simple and interactive ideas can do the trick. The main purpose of using fun and game activities is to engage the pupil to learn the second language smartly and in the most efficient way.
So much for the positive. There is something else I have noticed, though, at graduateconferences and in private conversation with my peers that troubles me nearly as much. I think we have something of the reverse of the problem I encountered in my undergraduate education. The effort is all there, the engagement is clear and manifest, it is now the words which betray something different. Many graduate students, it seems to me, have adopted a kind of ironic distance from the material. They will defend (quite fervently) views that, they later say flatly, they do not take all that seriously. They will say, moreover, that they do not think philosophy is after truth, that there is no such goal to be found (except maybe in some empirical sciences, depending on their particular bent) and that philosophy is only a sort of self-contained language game which they play according to accepted rules as though it were chess. Fun, sure, but nothing worth taking all that seriously.
Not so incidentally, and perhaps you will have guessed it by now, I once counted myselfamong the ironically distant. Philosophy felt more like a fun game, then, and less like every issue was a fight for the very soul of humanity. However, I am now convinced that I was deluding myself when I thought it was mere fun and games. If our souls are all at stake, we had better fight like they are and not like we stand only to lose face. 041b061a72