Educational Technology Innovation and Impact/Why use Technology in Education/Linguistic Intelligence

Linguistic Intelligence

“Linguistic intelligence is the ability to use languages to excite, please, convince, stimulate or convey information, http://www.cookps.act.edu.au/mi_ling.htm. Linguistic intelligence involves not only ease in producing language, but also sensitivity to the nuances, order and rhythm of words.

From a very early age we have all been encouraged to develop the art of communication. Even if we do not consider ourselves to be particularly talented, we have at least learned sufficient so as to interact fairly successfully with others. There are however, individuals who have developed their linguistic skills to the point where it becomes an art. They have the ability to write and talk fluently, utilising a broad vocabulary to express the precise meaning of what they wish to convey and they can speak almost melodically with changing intonations and rhythms of sound to express feelings and promote memory.

“ Language, the chief product of linguistic intelligence, is surprisingly flexible. The deaf can learn language, and people can learn to read language through totally different symbol-processing systems—through a sound-oriented system of syllables (like our alphabet) or through a visually oriented system of ideograms (like Chinese symbols). Studies indicate that syllables and ideograms are processed in entirely different areas of the brain, yet the linguistic intelligence can successfully make use of either method of encoding. It is characteristic of intelligence, in Gardner's view, to appropriate whatever faculties or senses it needs, without being entirely dependent upon any of them. Gardner's linguistic intelligence includes qualities of both left and right hemispheric processing of language—both language in the linear sense and language in the enfolded, holistic sense. The linguistic intelligence appears to be a combination of several differently evolved systems—expressive gesture, intonation, the cognitive abilities of naming and classifying, and syntactical parsing” [1]

Characteristic of linguistic intelligence:

“A deep understanding of words and sensitivity to the literal and figurative meaning of words, high developed oral and written communication skills, knowledge of grammar rules and when it is appropriate to disregard those rules, knowledge of the many different uses for languages, such as persuasion, information, or pleasure” http://www.arches.uga.edu/~hmt/webwrite/linguistic.htm

Possible career interests:

Journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, translator, poet, actor, comedian, orator novelist, and speechwriter.

Exercises to strengthen linguistic intelligence

“The advantages of developing ones Linguistic Intelligence further are many. We use language to explain, persuade, sell, argue, speak publicly, describe, write and so on” [2] Activities that can aid to improve Linguistic Intelligence are: learn a new word every day, write poems and stories, do puzzles and crosswords, learn about neuro-Linguistic Programming and use computer to write letters and emails.