Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing. language, a system of conventional spoken, manual (signed), or written symbols by means of which human beings, as members of a social group and participants in its culture, express themselves. The functions of language include communication, the expression of identity, play, imaginative expression, and emotional release.See full list on britannica.comMany definitions of language have been proposed. Henry Sweet, an English phonetician and language scholar, stated: “Language is the expression of ideas by means of speech-sounds combined into words. Words are combined into sentences, this combination answering to that of ideas into thoughts.” The American linguists Bernard Bloch and George L. Trager formulated the following definition: “A language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols by means of which a social group cooperates.” Any succinct definition of language makes a number of presuppositions and begs a number of questions. The first, for example, puts excessive weight on “thought,” and the second uses “arbitrary” in a specialized, though legitimate, way.A number of considerations (marked in italics below) enter into a proper understanding of language as a subject:Every physiologically and mentally typical person acquires in childhood the ability to make use, as both sender and receiver, of a system of communication that comprises a circumscribed set of symbols (e.g., sounds, gestures, or written or typed characters). In spoken language, this symbol set consists of noises resulting from movements of certain organs within the throat and mouth. In signed languages, these symbols may be hand or body movements, gestures, or facial expressions. By means of these symbols, people are able to impart information, to express feelings and emotions, to influence the activities of others, and to comport themselves with varying degrees of friendliness or hostility toward persons who make use of substantially the same set of symbols.Britannica QuizLanguages & AlphabetsDifferent systems of communication constitute different languages; the degree of difference needed to establish a different language cannot be stated exactly. No two people speak exactly alike; hence, one is able to recognize the voices of friends over the telephone and to keep distinct a number of unseen speakers in a radio broadcast. Yet, clearly, no one would say that they speak different languages. Generally, systems of communication are recognized as different languages if they cannot be understood without specific learning by both parties, though the precise limits of mutual intelligibility are hard to draw and belong on a scale rather than on either side of a definite dividing line. Substantially different systems of communication that may impede but do not prevent mutual comprehension are called dialects of a language. In order to describe in detail the actual different language patterns of individuals, the term idiolect, meaning the habits of expression of a single person, has been coined.See full list on britannica.comLanguages are composed of verbal and verbal speech. This means they are composed of words like “tree,” but also other forms of communication like body movements, emojis, and hand gestures, like those in American Sign Language used by American Deaf cultural communities. · When we language, we are creating social realities with others and constructing our own. So do we need a language to communicate? Let’s go back to a language learning scenario to answer this question. Imagine a situation where two people do not completely share a language. The tongue and speech are so closely connected that in many languages the word that means "tongue" also means "language." This is true in English, as when we say "she spoke a foreign tongue." While language is a human trait, this is not the case for any particular language. The scientific study of both language and languages is called linguistics, with different sub-disciplines focusing more on one or the other. Identify the universal features of human languages and the design features that make them unique. Describe the structures of language: phonemes, morphemes, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. Assess the relationship between language variations and ethnic or cultural identity. Languages are composed of verbal and verbal speech. This means they are composed of words like “tree,” but also other forms of communication like body movements, emojis, and hand gestures, like those in American Sign Language used by American Deaf cultural communities. · When we language, we are creating social realities with others and constructing our own. So do we need a language to communicate? Let’s go back to a language learning scenario to answer this question. Imagine a situation where two people do not completely share a language. The tongue and speech are so closely connected that in many languages the word that means "tongue" also means "language." This is true in English, as when we say "she spoke a foreign tongue." While language is a human trait, this is not the case for any particular language. The scientific study of both language and languages is called linguistics, with different sub-disciplines focusing more on one or the other. Identify the universal features of human languages and the design features that make them unique. Describe the structures of language: phonemes, morphemes, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. Assess the relationship between language variations and ethnic or cultural identity.
