What is language?
October 20th, 2016.
How do we define language?
Language is a method of human communication, which can either be written or spoken. This method is often used within its own community or country. Language also involves hand gestures, symbols, and visuals. Language is a tool of expression.
Is it simply a pattern of symbols and sounds that communicates meaning?
Yes it is. Even though, the letters within the word are missing or moved around, if the first and last letter are visual, the brain will automatically identify the word based on those letters. Body language is also a way of communicating and expressing your thoughts and feelings. People use several senses such as sight, touch, and sound to communicate with one another.
Is it still a language if no one speaks it? What if one person speaks a language but no one else understands. Is it still a language?
If a language is dying, it will remain a language until it is not spoken by anyone. I do think that even when only one person speaks a language, it is still a language. It remains a way of communicating for that specific person allowing them to observe and analyse their surroundings. Often times, people tend to create their own languages. These might not be official languages or spoken by a lot of people, but it is looked upon as an interacting way of communicating with one another.
Do we need to know a definition of a word, in order to understand the meaning?
We don't necessary need to know the specific definition of a word in order to understand the meaning. Often times, we are able to lay the connection between the word and the meaning when identifying the parts that are familiar to our brains. We can even connect the significance of the word to a visual image in our brain, which will help give a brief understanding.
Do words have meanings or do we give them meanings?
Words have dictionary meaning, and are passed on to further generations. I do think that we can give words meaning by linking them to a specific event in our lives. We are given the general meaning of words, while we can give them a much deeper meaning ourselves. I believe that everyone has different interpretations of words, and each person will further identify the word differently. Different languages also tend to have more than one way of conveying an idea, meaning that we are most likely to pick the word that we think has the deepest or best meaning.
What do people mean when they claim young people no longer use language properly?
Due to today's society and the growth of social media, younger people tend to leave out letters while writing or misspell words. However, they know how to spell the words in order to leave letters out. Secondly, younger people might also not read books as much as older people do, which can cause lack of grammar. The reason of this behaviour can be caused by the fact that they want to be part of a specific community.
How do we define language?
Language is a method of human communication, which can either be written or spoken. This method is often used within its own community or country. Language also involves hand gestures, symbols, and visuals. Language is a tool of expression.
Is it simply a pattern of symbols and sounds that communicates meaning?
Yes it is. Even though, the letters within the word are missing or moved around, if the first and last letter are visual, the brain will automatically identify the word based on those letters. Body language is also a way of communicating and expressing your thoughts and feelings. People use several senses such as sight, touch, and sound to communicate with one another.
Is it still a language if no one speaks it? What if one person speaks a language but no one else understands. Is it still a language?
If a language is dying, it will remain a language until it is not spoken by anyone. I do think that even when only one person speaks a language, it is still a language. It remains a way of communicating for that specific person allowing them to observe and analyse their surroundings. Often times, people tend to create their own languages. These might not be official languages or spoken by a lot of people, but it is looked upon as an interacting way of communicating with one another.
Do we need to know a definition of a word, in order to understand the meaning?
We don't necessary need to know the specific definition of a word in order to understand the meaning. Often times, we are able to lay the connection between the word and the meaning when identifying the parts that are familiar to our brains. We can even connect the significance of the word to a visual image in our brain, which will help give a brief understanding.
Do words have meanings or do we give them meanings?
Words have dictionary meaning, and are passed on to further generations. I do think that we can give words meaning by linking them to a specific event in our lives. We are given the general meaning of words, while we can give them a much deeper meaning ourselves. I believe that everyone has different interpretations of words, and each person will further identify the word differently. Different languages also tend to have more than one way of conveying an idea, meaning that we are most likely to pick the word that we think has the deepest or best meaning.
What do people mean when they claim young people no longer use language properly?
Due to today's society and the growth of social media, younger people tend to leave out letters while writing or misspell words. However, they know how to spell the words in order to leave letters out. Secondly, younger people might also not read books as much as older people do, which can cause lack of grammar. The reason of this behaviour can be caused by the fact that they want to be part of a specific community.
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