Understanding the 4 English language skills

By: Ms. Lace, Preschool Teacher

What is language? According to the Oxford advance learner’s dictionary, it is the system
of communication in speech and writing that is used by people of a particular country or
area. It is also, the use by humans of a system of sounds and words to communicate.
Another way to describe language is in terms of the four basic skills and these are:

1. Listening: This is the very first thing you did when you were just a child.
   Listening to what everybody says! When people are learning a new language they
   first hear it spoken.
2. Speaking: The second step was to imitate the sounds you heard before. Trying
   to repeat or speak what you heard.
3. Reading: Third, learning the alphabet letters and sounds then blending them to
   read. Later on, when you see these letters, words, etc in print you can read
   them.
4. Writing: Finally, this is where you combine everything you learned, organize
   your ideas and write them on paper.

These four language skills are related to each other in two ways, the direction of
communication (in or out) and the method of communication (spoken or written).

Kindly note that these four language skills in English are sometimes called the
“macro-skills”. This is in contrast to the “micro-skills”, which are things like grammar,
vocabulary and pronunciation.
Nowadays, there are numerous strategies (online and offline) that can help us learn
how to improve or sharpen these fundamental skills. As you continue to learn about
language, you will probably discover or notice that you’re stronger in some areas than
others and that is okay. Once you’ve mastered these 4 skills, you can safely say that
you’re fluent in the English language.

Reference: https://physicscatalyst.com/graduation/four-language-skills