Key Properties and Definition of Language

UNIT 1- Key properties of language A language is a system of communication which consists of a set of sounds and written symbols which are used by the people of a particular country or region for talking or writing. Language is the most frequently used and most highly developed form of human communication that man has possessed. It is a group of sounds distinguishable from one another and arranged in a system by means of which thoughts and feelings can be communicated from one person to another. (Ernest W. Grey, A Brief Grammar of Written English). Language is a means of communicating and interacting with others. Language started as abstract symbols to a systematic form of communication. At present, there are more than 7,100 languages spoken across the globe. Language is the institution through which humans communicate and interact with one another using commonly used oral-auditory arbitrary symbols. Human Language Language is a formalized form of speech. A language's grammar is its structure, while its vocabulary is its free-form elements. Humans primarily communicate using languages, which can be expressed orally, visually, or in writing. Many languages, including the most extensively used ones, have writing systems that allow recording sounds or signals for later activation. The transmission of human language is not reliant on a single medium, such as sight or sound, and it varies greatly between cultures and over time. Human languages are productive and displacing and depend on social convention and education. Properties of Human Language Although languages vary greatly, they are all enabled by the same genetic information, processed in the same ways by the brain. All share basic "design elements" and structural qualities that allow them to function. For instance, even though different languages employ various sounds, these sounds are mixed and ordered per just a few basic rules. Language sounds and combinations should change randomly if no shared, universal language characteristics exist. Language sounds and their combinations are instead constrained and ordered. Similar restrictions apply to all languages' word combinations to form phrases and sentences. Reflexivity The property of reflexivity accounts for the fact that we can use language to think and talk about language itself, making it one of the distinguishing features of human language. Without this ability, we wouldn’t be able to reflect on or identify any of the other distinct properties of human language. All animals communicate in some fashion. However, we assume that other organisms do not examine or reflect on how they develop their expressive messages (or not). If you think about dogs, you can reasonably guess that one barking dog is not telling another barking dog to stop or to run or to come. Humans can consider language and its applications, and reflexivity is happening here. Displacement People can speak of the past and the future. This feature of human language is referred to as displacement. Language users can utilize it to discuss subjects that are not currently happening around them. With the aid of displacement, we can discuss creatures and locations (such as angels, fairies, Santa Claus, Superman, heaven, and hell) whose existence we cannot even be certain of. Animal speech appears to be primarily intended for the present moment; it is considered that the majority of animals speak in the present. It is not used to connect events that occurred at a distance in time or space. For instance, when you pet a cat, it meows right now, not yesterday or tomorrow. Bees are a slight exception to this rule because they use some form of displacement in their communication. A honeybee can engage in a dance routine to let the other bees know where it found a supply of nectar when it returns to the beehive. The other bees can determine the location of this recently discovered feast based on the sort of dance. This counts as displacement, but of a very specific kind. It simply lacks the breadth of possibilities present in human language. Arbitrariness Language is also arbitrary, which is a fundamental feature. Words rarely have a coherent or guiding relationship to what they mean. The aspect of language where there is no natural connection between linguistic signs and objects is called arbitrariness. For example, there is no natural connection between the word ’table’ and the object made of wood with poles to support and a flat top. The choice of symbols used by a language is, however, said to be arbitrary. This is because there is no direct relationship between a particular word and its meaning. For example, in English we use the word cup to represent a physical object capable of holding liquids, which usually has a handle, and which humans use to drink from. Each particular language (English, French, Russian, Chinese, and so on) uses a different set of symbols. So, for example, the word-symbol for cup in French is tasse but in Portuguese it is copo. Arbitrariness is a useful property because it increases the flexibility of language. The flexibility arises because language is not constrained by the need to match the form of a word and its meaning. Because of this it is possible to construct an almost infinite number of words from a limited set of speech sounds. These are onomatopoeic words: words that imitate the sound associated with an object or an action. For example, in the utterance the bees were buzzing the word buzzing sounds similar to the noise bees make. Other examples include hiss and hoot. The features of such words are often exploited in the writing of poetry. Cultural Transmission While we get our parents' physical traits like dark hair and brown eyes, we do not get their linguistic traits. We do not learn a language from our parents' genes; rather, we learn it in a community of speakers. An infant born to Korean parents in Korea but adopted and raised by English-speaking parents in the United States from birth will physically resemble their parents but invariably speak English. It is called "cultural transmission," when a language is passed down from one generation to the next. Generally, people have some innate propensity to learn a language. However, the capacity to speak a particular language, like English, is not something we are born with. When we are young, we learn our first language. One of the most obvious examples of this is the formal teaching in our schools, the majority of which is undertaken using spoken language. The child who sits on a parent’s lap and listens to stories of family traditions and events is also learning through language. This property of language is referred to as cultural transmission. The language of a particular society, therefore, forms part of the culture of that society. Tarzan is a good example. If a kitten has similar early experiences, it will still meow. Even raised with a group of dogs it will not bark but meow Productivity Humans invent new terms by modifying existing verbal resources to describe novel objects and circumstances. Such as technical terms, medical terms, scientific terms etc… as new vocabulary of COVID 19, ‘CORONA’. ‘Cryptocurrency’, ‘fantoosh’, ‘fantabulous’ Productivity (also known as "creativity" or "open-mindedness") is a quality that means that there are an endless number of possible utterances in all human languages. Is that a word? This is a common question people have when they first hear a word. If they question a linguist, they will probably get the response, "It is now." Even though a novel word is not listed in a dictionary, it is still considered a real word provided it is produced following its language's morphological and phonological principles and makes sense when used in context. Duality Human language is simultaneously organized at two levels. This characteristic is known as duality. Individual sounds, such as n, b, and I, are produced physically when we talk, and none of these distinct variants have inherent significance when considered separate sounds. We have another level in a combination, like a bin, that has a different meaning than the meaning of the combination in the nib. As a result, we have separate sounds on one level and distinct meanings on a different level. The fact that we can create diverse sound combinations (like words) using a small collection of sounds makes this duality of levels one of the most practical aspects of human language. We have already seen an example of this above when considering duality. We noted that the combination of the secondary level elements ‘c’, ‘a’, and ‘t’ may combine to form the primary level unit cat. These three elements may also be recombined to form the word act. However, the combination ‘a’ + ‘t’ + ‘c’ to form ‘atc’ is meaningless (in English). Specialization This key property refers to the fact that language allows us to substitute an arbitrary word for a physical action. An example might be a child who instructs their friend to ‘Stay away!’ This utterance means that the child does not then have to act out his or her message: for example, by physically pushing the friend away. Similarly, the police officer who instructs a crowd to ‘Move along!’ has used language to substitute for the physical action of driving the crowd forwards. In both instances the language has substituted for a physical action. Interchangeability Humans can transmit and receive identical linguistic signals, and so reproduce any linguistic message they understand. This allows for the interlocutory roles of 'speaker' and 'listener', within the context of linguistic communication, to alternate between the conversation's participants via turn taking. for example: the female silkworm moth can only send messages, and the males can only receive messages. Peacocks can communicate through a dance by spreading feathers , but female pea hens cannot. Other features Many more features exist in human language, although they may not be unique. Other features might include − • • • • • • Vocal-Auditory channel − Human verbal communication is generally created by the vocal organs and heard by the ears via the vocal-auditory channel. On the other hand, linguistic communication may be delivered without sound via writing. Furthermore, many other animals, such as dolphins, employ the vocal-auditory channel. Directional reception and broadcast transmission − Any auditory system within earshot may hear a signal, and the source can be determined using the ear's directionfinding abilities. Rapid fading − Unlike animals or writing, auditory communications are transient and do not wait for the hearer's convenience. Interchangeability − Any linguistic signal's speaker/sender can also be a listener/receiver. Total response − Speakers can hear and reflect on anything they say (unlike visual displays). Frequently utilized in animal courting, although not apparent to the displayer). Specialization − Speech sound waves have no purpose but to convey meaning (unlike music). Dogs' loud panting has a physiologic function). Conclusion The study of human language is as diverse as human language itself. Its various properties, structure, diversity, and uniqueness make it beautiful. Philosophers and scientists have long discussed the nature and function of language, and there still needs to be an agreement on when humans first began to communicate.