MLC 105 Learning Journal # 12

[Pamir Niaz]

The article "A Picture of Language" discussed an aspect of language learning that I had never heard about before. Kitty Burns Florey, the article's author, discusses what is now a relatively archaic method of language learning--diagramming. Diagramming was introduced S.W. Clark to make it easier to understand the structure of language; as opposed to parsing, the method used at the time which Clark found too tedious. Through my reading of the article, I could not see the effectiveness of using diagramming. The concept seems very outdated, as the author suggests, and I believe there are better methods understanding the structure of a language. However, some do claim that diagramming creates a visual interpretation of language, which adds a greater dimension to knowledge of a language. Although, my experience with diagramming is non-existent, and I cannot personally attest to any added benefits.