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Task Introduction To Linguistic

The document discusses the key characteristics of language according to Dr. Khadijah Maming, including that language is vocal, a means of communication, symbolic, systematic, and arbitrary. It provides details on each characteristic, such as language consisting of sounds produced by speech organs, using words as symbols to represent concepts, and having systems for arrangement and organization despite symbols being finite. The document also includes a student's additional perspective on characteristics of language.

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Annisatul Fitria
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33 views

Task Introduction To Linguistic

The document discusses the key characteristics of language according to Dr. Khadijah Maming, including that language is vocal, a means of communication, symbolic, systematic, and arbitrary. It provides details on each characteristic, such as language consisting of sounds produced by speech organs, using words as symbols to represent concepts, and having systems for arrangement and organization despite symbols being finite. The document also includes a student's additional perspective on characteristics of language.

Uploaded by

Annisatul Fitria
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Task : Introduction To Linguistic by Dr. Khadijah Maming, S.Pd., M.Pd.

Name : Annisatul Fitria

NIM : 221110015

Characteristics of language :

1. Language is verbal, vocal: Language is sound


Language is an organization of sounds, of vocal symbols – the 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
because they are spoken. Music and singing also employ vocal sounds, but they are not
languages. Language is systematic verbal symbolism; it makes use of verbal elements
such as sound, words. and phrases, which are arranged in certain ways to make sentences.
Language is vocal in as much as it is made up of sounds which can be produced by the
organs of speech.
2. Language is a means of communication
Language is the most powerful, convenient and permanent means and form of
communication. Non-linguistics symbols such as expressive gestures signals of various
kinds, traffic lights, road-signs, flags, emblems and many more such things as well as
shorthand, mores and other codes, the deaf and dumb and braille alphabets, the symbols
of mathematics and logic, etc. are also means of communication, yet they are not so
flexible, comprehensive, perfect and extensive as language is. Language is the best means
of self-expression. It is though the language that humans express their thoughts, desires,
emotions and feelings; it is through it that they store knowledge, transmit messages,
knowledge and experience from one person to another, from one generation to another.
most of the activities in the world are carried on through or by it. It is through it that
humans interact. It is language again that yokes the present, the past and the future
together.
3. Language is symbolic
The symbolism of language is a necessary consequence of the feature of
arbitrariness discussed above. A symbol stands for something else; it is something that
serves as a substitute. Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols. For concepts,
things ideas, objects etc. we have sounds and words as symbols. the language uses words
essentially as symbols and not as signs (e.g in Mats.) for the concepts represented by
them.
4. Language is systematic
Although the language is symbolic, yet its symbols are arranged in a particular
system. All languages have their system of arrangements. Though symbols in each
human language are finite, they can be arranged infinity; 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. All languages have a phonological and
grammatical system we have morphological and syntactic systems, and within these two
sub-systems, we have several other systems such as those of plural, of mood, of aspect,
of tense, etc.
5. Language is arbitrary
By the arbitrariness of language, we mean that there is no inherent or logical
relation or similarity between any given feature of language and its meaning. That is
entirely arbitrary, that there is no direct, necessary connection between the nature of
things or ideas the language deals with, and the linguistics unites are combinations by
which these things or ideas are expressed. There is no reason why the four-legged
domestic animals should be called Dog in English, Kutta in Hindi, Kukkur in Sanskrit,
Kutta in Telugu, Kukur in Bengali, Chien in French, hund in German, Kalb in Arabic and
so on. That those particular words that imitate the sounds of there referents, for example-
buzz, hiss, hum, bang in English and Kal-Kal in Hindi, may seem to invalidate this
statement, but such words are comparatively few in different languages, and the accuracy
of the limitation depends on the sounds available in the language. Furthermore, these are
a variation in different languages of the world and have no uniformity.

Source : https://smartenglishnotes.com/2020/05/14/10-main-features-or-characteristics-of-
language/
According to me, characteristics of language:
1. Vocal : a language consists of sounds which is produced by the speech organs.
2. Symbol : symbol of the language that used in speaking. For example, in the Bugis
tribe, we use the Lontara script as a symbol of the regional language. And English
language use alphabet as a symbol.
3. System : each language has its own grammar with writing rules.
4. Communication : language is a tool that used to communicate with a person or group
of people.

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