- A Language is a system of verbal and, in many cases, written symbols with rules about how those symbols can be strung together to convey more complex meanings. It is impossible to overstate the importance of language in the development, elaboration, and transmission of culture.
- Language enables people to store meanings and experiences and to pass this heritage on to new generations. Through language, we are able to learn about and from the experiences of others. In addition, language enables us to transcend the here and now, preserving the past and imagining the future.
Hazel Simmons-McDonald et al. (1997) in Writing in English: A Course Book for Caribbean Students
- Language is one feature in man that has allowed man not only to survive but to develop and dominate other animals and, to some small extent, nature itself.
- Language has facilitated the strengthening of human societies by providing a medium for instant and immediate transmission of information (for self-preservation) as well as medium for reflection and projection (for growth and development).
- Language, then, by allowing man to communicate about the present, to reflect about the past, and to plan for the future, has ensured his survival and has allowed man to prosper far out of proportion to man’s purely physical attributes.
Language vs. A Language
- The two are mutually dependent and determine each other
- The two are best illustrated in what is called linguistic competence.
Competence in a language-linguistic ability every normal human being has.
Competence has a two-sided nature-Active and Passive.
Active competence-that part of the language each individual produces and controls (idiolect).
Passive competence—that part of the language, over and above active competence, which each individual has internalized from his own experience in society and makes use of to understand all the other people in society. For example, an upper-class speaker in society does not produce the same speech as a lower-class speaker in the same society, but the passive competence of each one facilitates the understanding of each other’s speech.
The relationship between active competence and passive competence is normally subsumed under the terms production and comprehension.
Production and comprehension are said to have an asymmetrical relationship; that is the latter is bigger than the former, because whereas production is simply active competence, comprehension is active competence plus passive competence. (pages 3-5)
Characteristics of Language
ReplyDelete Language is Uniquely Human: Lelia Lord et al (2012) in Cape Communication Studies examined some key words in anthropologist Edward Sapir’s definition of language: “Language is a purely human and non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions and desires by means of a system of voluntarily produced symbols.” Lord et al noted, “Only humans have the physical capability to pronounce the wide variety of sounds that are used in the world’s languages. The human brain capacity also provides the ability to deal with complex issues, to reason and to plan for the future. Even though higher-order apes can be taught to recognize words and human sounds through rigorous training, they never achieve language more sophisticated than that of a two-year-old.” As Veronica Simon and Sandra Osborne (2009) highlighted in CAPE Communication Studies, “While parrots and parakeets can be taught to reproduce sound sequences, they cannot be taught to formulate sentences on their own or to respond sensibly to a verbal message.”
Lord et al said, “Language is also human because it can deal with displacement. This means that language can be used to discuss things that are not present and never existed, like science- fiction writing. We also use language to discuss language. In addition, any human can acquire any human language, once exposed to it, whereas animals cannot reproduce or imitate sounds not common to their species.” (page 62)
Non-instinctive (naturally acquired): Lord et al pointed out, “While humans are born with the ability to acquire language, they can only do so through imitation. Therefore a child raised in an environment where he or she is not exposed to language will not learn to speak.” (pages 62-63)
Language is Systematic: Simon and Osborne (2009) stated: “Unlike other forms of communication, language makes use of a number of different systems. One such system is sound. Each language has its accepted sound patterns that are easily recognizable to its speakers. You can see that there are certain combinations of letter sounds that appear in other languages that are not acceptable in English even though these languages use the same orthography or writing system. Have you noticed that many who learn English as a second language often have difficulty pronouncing words with the ‘th’ sound? That is because this particular combination letter sound does not occur in their own languages. Sounds take on meaning in a language only when they are recognizable to its speakers.
“Another important system of language is grammar. The grammar of a language is a set rules that govern how the words of the language are put together to make meaning….Word order is critical to meaning.” (pages 40-41)
Language is Symbolic: Simon and Osborne said: “This means that it uses words as representations or symbols of ideas. Each word represents some idea or thing that has a meaning. Words need definitions because they are symbols of something else. In order for language to make sense, or be mutually intelligible among its speakers, there must be commonly understood or accepted meanings attributed to its symbols.” Read more in Unit 2: Understanding Communication.