This paper discusses Halliday’s thoughts on three, natural components of language development; that of learning language, that of learning through language, and that of learning about language. Halliday discusses how language is a constant process, often complex, often instinctive, which begins before birth and continues throughout life. Demonstration of how language is constructed draws attention to the child not being a solitary individual, but one who is involved in interaction, and so becomes actively immersed with others. Establishment of how language is created from meaning, then transmitted between humans, emphasises this interactive process as a requirement for communicative success, and further draws upon the significance of context as a means of learning. Adapting language to various functions supports the building of reality and so allows transition from the use of language for doing, to the use of language for learning.
This paper illustrates how the use of mixed methods for data collation can aid analysis of classroom talk; it centres on how background and culture are related processes that influence the structure and understanding of collective experiences, and so produce a common and accepting use of words. It further underlines how dialogue within the educational field is significant in making discussion more effective in the learning process, and thus stresses the importance of the role of the adult in promoting talk as a tool for thinking collaboratively. Consequently, conversational interaction allows the sharing of knowledge and development of contextual talk through historical, cultural and social components. Mercer considers that a cooperative and combined methodological approach offers greater breadth to examine intellectual activity that is thus being jointly constructed; this, he advocates, allows a wider range of evidence to be gathered and so presents real outcomes, as opposed to assumptions.