Meaning and Definition of Language
According to Benjamin Whorf, "Language shapes thoughts and emotions, determining one's perception of reality Language is a tool to transmit information, learn knowledge, express feelings, emotions, and ideas, and construct social identity. As we all know language plays a great role in transmitting knowledge.
Nowadays, at a very early age in life, everybody learns a different language and this means of communication will be used throughout in order to give and receive knowledge. A quote from The Status of Linguistics as a Science by Sapir summarizes "Human beings do not live in the objective world alone, nor alone in the world of social activity as ordinarily understood, but are very much at the mercy of the particular language which has become the medium of expression for their society."
Language is a living and dynamic phenomenon, and people have always found ways of expressing their feelings, and thoughts, even in the most tightly controlled and oppressive societies, In feet language is continuously creating new words in order to define a new concept.
Man has rightly been called "a talking animal". Man is gifted with a quality of speech, which differentiates him from other living beings. Language consists of words, idioms and syntax. Through language human beings think, feel, and express judgment, in producing this speech man will utter some sounds. These sounds are conventionalized and recognized as common usage and provide the social aspect of a language. In short, language is speech as language and life are inter-related.
Oxford English Dictionary defines language as "Words and the methods of combining them for the expression of thoughts"
According to Edward Sapir (1921), "Language is a purely human and non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions and desires by means of voluntarily produced symbols." According to Bolinger, "Language is species specific."
According to H.A. Gleason, "Language is one of the most important and characteristic forms of human behaviour." According to 8. Bloch, (1942), "A language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols by means of which a social group cooperates."
Characteristics of Language:
1. Language is Vocal and Verbal
Language is a systematic verbal, symbolism, It makes use of verbal elements such as sound, words, and phrases, which are arranged in a certain way to make sentences. Language is an organisation of sound, of vocal symbols sounds produced from the mouth with the help of various organs of speech to convey some meaningful message.
It also means that speech is primary to writing. There are several languages m the world which have no writing systems, yet they are languages because they are spoken Music and singing also employ vocal sounds, but they are not languages.
Language is vocal in as muds; as it is made up of sound which can be produced by the organs of speech it recognises the expression and communication to or from human beings by means of speech and hearing. This means that the communication and expression of emotions, feelings and desires should be from man to and that too by means of speech and hearing.
2. Language is a Means of Communication
Language is a powerful form of communication. Non-linguistic symbols such as gestures, signals, traffic lights, etc. are also means of communication, yet they are not so 1 flexible, comprehensive, perfect and extensive as language is.
It is through it that humans interact. It is language again that joins the present, the past and the future together. Language is the best means of self-expression. It is through language that humans express their thoughts, desires, emotions and feelings
3. Language is Systematic
The speakers of a language use only rare combinations. Language is the systematic composition or Arrangement of linguistic units which correlate words and meanings. Each usage, therefore, can be described as a special system, suitable for conveying a message within Its own framework of structure and meaning and leaving very little direct physical relation to the meanings or acts which it involves.
It should also be remembered that language is meaningful. Its Symbols are arranged in a particular system. All languages have their system of arrangements. Though symbols in each human language are linear, they can be arranged infinitely that is to say, we can produce an infinite set of sentences by a finite set of symbols. Every language is a system of systems,
4. Language and Society
Language exists in society; it is a means of nourishing and developing culture and establishing human relations. It is as a member of society that a human being acquires a language. Language In this sense is a possession of a social group comprising an indispensable set of rules which permits its members (5 relate to one another, to interact with one another, to cooperate with one another; it is a social institution. We are not born with an Instinct to learn a particular language.
5. Language is Speech
Language is distinct from sign language even amongst humans at any point of social and biological evolution It restricts itself to recognised expression and communication to or from Sftuman beings by means of speech and hearing and is distinct from the signs, gestures and sounds produced by animals or pets to convey a particular feeling or emotion. Communication, therefore, has to be from man to man, from one person to another person by means of speech and hearing Speech, therefore, is language.
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