Language as a Mean of Communication

8404 Words34 Pages
Chapter One Introduction: What is language ? This paper will define language as a system of conventional vocal signs by means of which human beings communicate. There are six important terms in this definition they are system, signs, vocal, conventional, human and communicate, this paper will be focusing on language in terms of communication. Another definition consider language as a system of communication that enables humans to cooperate. This definition stresses the social functions of language and the fact that humans use it to express themselves and to manipulate objects in their environment. Language is an important aspect in our day to day life because it enables us to communicate. In writing and editing standards there are certain aspects that should be put into consideration in order to effectively and clearly communicate the intended message. Natural languages can be based on visual rather than auditory stimuli, for example in sign languages and written language. Codes and other kinds of artificially constructed communication systems such as those used for computer programming can also be called languages. A language in this sense is a system of signs for encoding and decoding information. The English word derives ultimately from Latin lingua, "language, tongue", via Old French. This metaphoric relation between language and the tongue exists in many languages and testifies to the historical prominence of spoken languages. When used as a general concept, "language" refers to the cognitive faculty that enables humans to learn and use systems of complex communication. Statistics estimate that there are about 6,000-7,000 different languages spoken worldwide . The imprecision in this estimate is due to the fact that some dialects are in the process of diverging and it is not clear that they have reached the stage of being separate languages.
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