Language

Introduction to Language - 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 written forms. - Language can also be conveyed through sign languages. - Most human languages have developed writing systems for recording and preserving language. - Human language is characterized by its cultural and historical diversity. Properties and Modalities of Human Language - Human languages possess the properties of productivity and displacement. - Productivity allows for the creation of an infinite number of sentences. - Displacement enables the ability to refer to objects, events, and ideas that are not immediately present. - Human language relies on social convention and is acquired through learning. - Estimates vary, but there are approximately 5,000 to 7,000 human languages in the world. - Natural languages can be spoken, signed, or both. - Any language can be encoded into secondary media using auditory, visual, or tactile stimuli. - Written or signed language is the way to inscribe or encode natural human speech or gestures. - Language can refer to the cognitive ability to learn and use complex communication systems. - Language involves semiosis, the process of relating signs to particular meanings. Linguistics and Language Study - The scientific study of language is called linguistics. - Philosophical perspectives on language have been debated throughout history. - Language is processed in various locations in the human brain, including Broca's and Wernicke's areas. - Language acquisition occurs through social interaction in early childhood. - Language and culture are codependent, with language serving social functions. Language Evolution and Diversity - Language is thought to have diverged from earlier primate communication systems. - Brain volume and social functions influenced the evolution of language structures. - Language evolves and diversifies over time, and its history can be reconstructed. - Language families descend from a common ancestor, while language isolates have no known relationship. - Many languages are at risk of extinction, with estimates ranging from 50% to 90% by 2100. Origin and Theories of Language - The origins of language have been a subject of speculation throughout history. - The Biblical myth of the Tower of Babel is one account of language origins. - Continuity-based theories suggest that language evolved from pre-linguistic systems among pre-human ancestors. - Discontinuity-based theories argue that language is a unique human trait that appeared suddenly in the transition from pre-hominids to early man. - Generative view theories see language as an innate faculty largely genetically encoded. - Functionalist theories view language as a system that is largely cultural and learned through social interaction. - The age of spoken languages is estimated at 60,000 to 100,000 years. - Researchers generally believe that language was invented only once and all modern spoken languages are related. - Communication systems of pre-human australopithecines were similar to those of great apes. - Scholarly opinions vary on when language-like systems developed in Homo species. - Some suggest primitive language-like systems as early as Homo habilis. - Others place the development of primitive symbolic communication with Homo erectus or Homo heidelbergensis. - Language proper is associated with anatomically modern Homo sapiens during the Upper Paleolithic revolution. - Linguistics has been developing as a science for over 2000 years. - Modern linguistics examines all aspects of language from different theoretical viewpoints. - Descriptive linguistics focuses on the grammar of individual languages. - Theoretical linguistics develops theories on the nature of language. - Sociolinguistics studies the social functions of language.