Language
Language is a
system
of
gestures,
grammar,
signs,
sounds,
symbols,
or words
which is used to represent and
communicate concepts,
ideas,
meanings, and
thoughts. It can be thought of as a ‘semantic
code’.
The study of language as such a code is called
linguistics, an
academic discipline introduced by
Ferdinand de Saussure. Those who speak or otherwise use a language
are deemed (by the self-appointed linguists) to be part of that
language’s theoretical linguistic
communityHuman languages
Making a principled distinction between one language and another is
usually impossible. For example, the boundaries between named language
groups are in effect arbitrary due to blending between populations
(the
dialect continuum). For instance, there are dialects of German
very similar to Dutch which are not mutually intelligible with other
dialects of (what Germans call) German.
Some like to make parallels to biology, where it is not always
possible to make a well-defined distinction between one species and
the next. In either case, the ultimate difficulty may stem from the
interactions between languages and populations, with modification.
(See
dialect or
August Schleicher for a longer discussion.)
The concepts of
Ausbausprache,
Abstandsprache, and
Dachsprache are used to make finer distinctions about the degree
of difference between languages or dialects.
Linguistics
Main article:
Linguistics
Linguistics examines different theoretical perspectives on human
language in detail. The
Linguistics article is a useful introductory article about
language.
Language taxonomy
Main article:
Language families and languages
The world languages have been be grouped into families of languages
which have
similarities. Major groupings are the
Indo-European languages, the
Afro-Asiatic languages, and the
Sino-Tibetan language
Constructed languages
Main article:
Constructed language
One prominent artificial language, called
Esperanto, was created by
L. L. Zamenhof. It was a compilation of various elements of
different languages, which was intended to be an easy-to-learn
language.
Other writers, such as J. R. R. Tolkien, have created fantasy
languages, for literary, linguistic, or personal reasons. One of
Tolkien’s languages is called
Quenya,
which is a form of Elvish. It includes its own alphabet and
pronunciations aligned with those of Germanic-heritage humans
Non-human animal language
Main article:
Non-Human Animal Language
While the term ‘Non-Human
Animal Languages’ is widely used, most researchers agree that they
are not as complex or expressive as the human language. Some
researchers also argue that there are significant differences
separating human language from the communication of other animals, and
that the underlying principles are not related.
Other researchers argue that a continuum exists between the
communication methods of all animals. Almost all researchers agree
that human language is more complex than communication between other
animals. For more on communication among non-human animals, see
The Animal Communication Project. (http://acp.eugraph.com)
Formal languages
Main article:
Formal languages
Mathematics and
computer science use artificial entities called
formal languages (including
programming languages and
markup languages). These often take the form of character strings,
produced by some combination of
formal grammar and
semantics of arbitrary complexity.
Information about language on wikipedia
See also
External links
