Devika Panikar

The experience of working with the indigenous languages of North America has given a good deal of American linguistic theory its practical character and its sense of urgency. Many of these languages were spoken by very few people and would soon die out. Unless they were recorded and described before this happened, they would become forever inaccessible for investigation. In these circumstances, it is not surprising that American linguists have given considerable attention to the development of what are called 'field methods' -techniques for the recording and analysis of languages which the linguist himself could not speak and which had not previously been committed to writing.

Originating from the ancient Greek term paragraphe meaning  ‘marked passage’, a paragraph is a group of sentences that introduces,  presents, develops and winds up one main idea on a topic. The idea in a  paragraph should be one and the different types of structural devices  should help it come out clearly. Paragraph writing, as with all other  language skills, can be used for functional and creative purposes.

Linguistics is commonly defined as a science of language. A scientific description is carried out systematically based on objectively  verifying observations and within the framework of some general theory  appropriate to the data. It is often said that linguistics properly  so-called is of relatively recent origin and that the investigation of  language as practised In Europe and America before the 19th century was  subjective, speculative and unsystematic.

A Basic or a Kernel sentence is the simplest form of sentence which is  simple (not complex or compound), declarative and affirmative and is in  the active voice. Such sentences can be broadly classified into five  different patterns. Two of these patterns are Intransitive (using such  verbs as they do not take an object) while the other three are  Transitive (verbs that take an object).

A simple, lucid style of writing is often the product of long years  of practice in using the language in the written context of various  kinds. The writing process involves a series of stages. Essentially a  written text requires planning, drafting, revising, editing and  proofreading. These crucial phases in the writing process can be divided  into four essential steps.

The syntax is the grammar, structure, or order of the elements in a language statement. (Semantics is the meaning of these elements.) Syntax applies to computer languages as well as to natural languages. Usually, we think of syntax as "word order." However, the syntax is also achieved in some languages such as Latin by inflectional case endings.

Writing may be defined as the physical manifestation of language. A process of recording information using a coded system of symbols. It is a means by which ideas are transferred from one mind to another through words, phrases and sentences. The symbols vary according to the language used. Good writing skills allow you to communicate clearly and easily to a larger audience.