WHAT IS LANGUAGE

Language is the dominant system of verbal exchange. Language is the medium through which
humans speak with every other, in either spoken or written form. It can be defined as a method
adopted by Homo sapiens to express their emotions, thoughts, feelings and desires.

Language is a communication system. It has a complex and modifiable structure which means
its form keeps getting modified from time to time. However, it is noteworthy that the
communication between animals cannot be considered language. Language can be regarded
as a human trait. Every language has its very own traits and objectives. The traits of a language
are vital to construct the authenticity of any language.

Characteristics of Language:

1. Verbal and vocal – has sound

a. Language is a symbolic system of phonetics and speech, which is mainly composed of
vocal sounds produced by the body's physiological articulatory/pronunciation
components. First, it only manifests in the sound. The language accepts phonetic
elements, such as sounds, words, and phrases, arranged in a specific way to form
different sentences.
b. Languages are sounds produced by different speech organs. Writing can be seen as an
intelligent platform for reproducing speech. It is a graphical representation of the speech
of a language.

2. Meaningful – makes sense

3. Language is a System of Communication
a. Language is a reliable and handy medium of verbal exchange and expression of thoughts. It
is through language that we are able to engage with each other. We can also additionally
say that language is an exceptional medium of communication across the world.
4. A social phenomena
a. Language is a social institute. It is a means of nourishing and developing culture and
human relations
b. Language is a social concept that exists in our human communities which is a
major factor for the development and forming of culture and establishing
interpersonal relationships. Thus, language can be regarded as a social
phenomenon in a broad sense.
c. With the aid of language, members of a specific social group, interact with each
other, in order to identify, connect and coordinate with each other. Language has been
an indispensable part of our society since time immemorial. Language can be
described as a way to nurture and establish interpersonal relationships within a
society.

5. Language helps people “relate”

6. Non-instinctive and conventional
 a. Language is the product of evolution and development of tradition. Language is fluid and
can change, transfer, develop and spread from era to era. Each language is used in specific
communities around the world. However, we cannot regard language as instinctive,
because we learn it naturally.
7. Body gestures and Braille system can also be counted as language
8. Language is arbitrary
a. A language is arbitrary in nature, in other words, the choice of words to express
a particular thing or idea is completely random. The study of language has lead
to the observation that the expression of concepts and things has no direct
relation to the nature of these things.
b. It can be also noted that different communities pronounce "a term" very
differently that the other, further adding to the observation that if language was
not arbitrary, a unified language would have used to communicate all over the
world.

9. Symbolic
a. Language is an orderly system consisting of different types of sound and word
symbols used to convey and express the nature of things, ideas, objects, etc.
Words in language are not only patterns or images, but also symbols that
represent meaning. These characters are used regularly which forms the basis
of a language. The interpretation of these symbols forms the basic idea of the
language.
10. Systematic – symbols are arranged in a systematic way
a. The symbols in a language reside in a specific system, only then can the actual
meaning can be conveyed. These systems or order are present in every language
although they are different from one another. In addition, all languages have
phonological and syntactic systems, and there are several subsystems within these
systems.

11. Unique, creative, structurally complex and modifiable

a. Language is fluid and easily modifiable in form. It is a fluidity of language that makes its
sustainable over the years despite its structural complexity. No species apart from
humans had been endowed with language. Every language has its very own traits
and different features. Language has its very own potentiality to be unique,
complicated and modifiable throughout time and culture.
b. In spelling pronunciation, people may come to pronounce the t in often even though
historically it had been lost. Some formal literary styles, like Classical Chinese, acquire
a life of their own in written form and have little direct relationship to speech.

12. Language is both linguistic and communicative

13. Language is humane
14. Consultative – different age groups like men, women and teenagers speak
differently
IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE/TRANSMISSION
OF A LANGUAGE IN THE MODERN TIMES
a. The advances in IT technology have turned the whole into a constantly shrinking
global village where communication and interaction is just a click away. Today,
people from different cultures and nationalities easily gather, interact, act and
communicate. The coverage of English language as an international language is
noteworthy. Now, it is not just the countries with English as a first language that have
an English medium of instruction. The countries with English as a second language
like India, Singapore, Philippines and South Africa have a whole administration and
learning environment based on English medium of instruction.
b. Knowledge of English is considered essential for employment and other activities as
it is a common language known by over 500 million people in the world. It is said hat
50% of the world’s newspapers, science and technology magazines are written in
English. More than 60% of radio stations in the world use English as a means of
communication. It is also the official language of the United Nations. English enjoys
the status of a unified language in different countries/regions of the world. It
occupies an important position in the education system. It can even be said English
is the window connecting the modern world.

SPEECH AND WRITING

The word language can be interpreted into two forms:
a. Spoken language
b. Written language
.

Speech: Speech can be described as a verbal conversation which is spoken and heard.
Speech evolves along the physiological modifications within side the human body, which made
speaking possible in the first place. Evolutionary changes in the throat, tongue, teeth, and lips
all make our variety of sounds extra diverse. Changes in the brain, in addition to the elevated
length of the brain, allowed us to think symbolically, a critical aspect of language. Animal verbal
exchange does not contain symbolic thought. Many of the sounds they make are either
emotional in nature, expressing alarm, happiness, and threats.

Writing: Language in a written form has letters and can be read. Writing as a form of human
language expression includes symbols and other written representation. There are letters and
alphabets in modern day scripts. These form a visible illustration of an object or a thing, and
sometimes even a feeling.
Both speech and writing dissipate and express but there is a difference through which manner
things are conveyed.
Gesture: Another form of language is body gestures. Gestures are bodily motions used for
communication used by animals and human beings.

Other differences between speech and writing include:

1. Age: Human origin, if traced back to about one million years ago, discovers the fact that
speech was a comparatively older version of communication. Despite the fact that there
was no proper system or order of speech, the early men might have communicated
through howls, growls and other forms of animalistic expression. With time and evolution
in play, humans were able to form distinct pronunciations citing the present abundant
number of spoken language around the world. Writing however, is a relatively recent
phenomenon. It was first used around 3200 BC. Invented by the Sumerians in
Mesopotamia, the concept of writing has spread around the world ever since and as a
result different writing systems have been developed in different parts of the world.

2. Receptivity: Newborns start acquiring the basics of their mother tongue the moment
they are born. By the completion of the first three years, a child also learns the basic
grammar of the language. Many of the skills involved are likely to be inborn, rather than
acquired. However, learning to write is usually based on oral skills and is taught later in
life.

3. Levels of structure: Language is composed of two basic units: "phonemes" or sound

units. They itself have no meaning. Phonemes are combined into "morphemes" which
are the meaningful units. Therefore, the phonemes /b/, /i/, /t/ form the word "bit". Letters
and alphabets work the same way.

In a different type of script, the syllabary, the basic unit, corresponds to a spoken
syllable; Japanese and Cherokee use this system. In logographic script, e.g. Chinese,
each character corresponds to an entire morpheme (usually a word).

4. Formalized: Communication can be formal or informal. In an educated society, writing

can be associated with formal style, and speech can be associated with informal style. In
formal situations like speeches, sermons, one can "speak like a book". The adaptability
of written styles to form speech is seen in some circumstances.
Spoken language is ubiquitous and constantly changing, and the speaker may not
realize it. The consistency and standardization of written form leads to slow and less
radical changes.

5. Interdependence: The spoken and written styles of a given language have a tendency
to correspond on one or more levels and can impact each other. Literate human beings
can deliver messages in both speech and writing equally. However it is agreed that
speech usually conveys extra specific records than writing.
6. Retrievability: It was not until the discovery of magnetic recording that speech was able
to be captured or preserved. It could be preserved in the use of fallible recollections and
with the aid of using writing. But writing may be preserved for ages and ages. Its
permanence has lead to the development of human establishments as libraries,
histories, schedules, dictionaries, menus, and as a whole, the civilization.
7. Literary Use: Oral literature is a prominent part of non-literate societies. Societies have
traditional and folk songs, various rituals, legends, myths, all composed orally and
preserved with the aid of using the human memory. Such texts can be known as oral
 literature. These are then orally disseminated from generation to generation, sometimes
causing a major change in the plot of the story.
By contrast, writing leads to what is frequently known as literature. These texts in printed
or handwritten form hold more information that what human memory can. Yet even in
literate societies, dramas, speeches, giving sermons continue to be essential traditions.
8. Prestige: Written language is related to political and financial power, famous literature,
and academic establishments, all of which lend it excessive status. In literate societies,
human beings frequently come to consider their written language as basic; they will
regard speech as inferior.
9. Standardization: Dialects are a vital part of spoken language, spread throughout
geographical regions and social groups. Dialects can be differentiated geographically,
for example urban, rural, or regional, or socially, for example standard and vernacular.
And when dialects come to differ from each other to such an extent that they stop being
mutually intelligible, they will have attained the status of different languages. (nd)
10. Linguistic and communicative competence: Linguistic competence is the measure of
how much someone understands the use of the language and speaks it. Communicative
competence is the ability of someone to relay the message using a language in a clear
manner.

Language and society

"Language is one of the most important and characteristic forms of human behavior" says H.A.
Gleason. With a widening range and horizon of human thought and action, a language has to
keep up with its social calling. As it is said that, "language is a purposeful activity" it must help
man to express himself in a variety of new and different kinds of situations. It is the society that
in its turn, bestows meaning to words and idioms by conventionalizing them to mean what they
mean today to a group or a community, in a variety of complex contexts.

A linguist called Whorf claimed language actually affects the way you see the world (so
language is like a pair of glasses through which we see everything). 

Language covers the entire expanse of life. It preserves the best human thoughts and
achievements which enriches life. The scope of language widens with the enlargement of
human activities: the larger the field of human functioning, the wider the extent of a language.

LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS

INDIVIDUAL ASPECT: 1. AESTHETIC SOCIAL ASPECT: CULTURAL,

EXPRESSIVE OR COMMUNICATIVE
2. EXPRESSIVE
Social function: It has been said time and again that language is social. It operates in a social
setting; it acquires meaning and significance in a social interaction. It is a means of
communication between members of a community, or between two communities. It is "capable
of handling all references and meanings" of a given culture. It is a means of expression.

Cultural Function - As a "language is a part of the culture of a people and the chief means by
which the members of a society communicate", it is wedded to culture, is inseparable from it
and, hence performs a cultural function. The content of every culture is expressible in its
language.

Language and the Individual - As a symbolic system, language reports to, refers to or
substitutes for, direct experience. Whatever the case may be, language cannot "stand apart
from or run parallel to direct experience, but completely interpenetrates with it."

The Expressive Function - Language is a great force of socialization. "language is primarily a

vocal actualization of the tendency to see realities symbolically". There cannot be any
meaningful social interaction without language. The language binds the people into one large
group called nation. The national language socializes the behavior of the whole nation,
whereas, the regional languages help integrate regional groups. Language is the greatest and
most potent force of integration.

Aesthetic Aspect- Language helps store culture experiences in the form of literature and other
written records for the posterity. These cultural experiences form the nexus of individual
realization. It breathes life into our poets and dramatists. Short of a language, such fine arts
were not possible. Aesthetic experiences are the treasure for the posterity to feel proud of it as a
national treasure-house.

The connection between language and society is tightly anchored

 The relationship of the two is deeply rooted. Language performs various functions in the
society and the society does the same way. If one will not exist, the other one will be
affected.
 Language is the primary tool for communication purposes, for establishing peace and
order in our society, for showing authority and power, and for attaining goals and
objectives. But, it can also destruct the society if it will use inappropriately. It must follow
the conformity governing the society to avoid conflict s and to meet the boundary of
individual differences.
 Society however controls our language by giving us preferences as what is acceptable
and not, because each one of us has our own perception or point of view. A group of
people may accept our language, but for others, it could be kind of offence or insult. We
must know how, when and where to say it and for what purpose.
 Social changes produce changes in language. This affects values in ways that have not
been accurately understood. Language incorporates social values. However, social
values are only the same as linguistic values when the society is a stable and
 unchanging one. Once society starts changing, then language change produces special
effects.
 Language is both a system of communication between individuals and a social
phenomenon. The area of language and society – sociolinguistics – is intended to
show how our use of language is governed by such factors as class, gender, race, etc. A
subsection of this area is anthropological linguistics which is concerned with form and
use of language in different cultures and to what extent the development of language
has been influenced by cultural environment
 The study of language and society – sociolinguistics – can be dated to about the middle
of the twentieth century. Before that there were authors who commented on how
language use was influenced or indeed guided by socially relevant factors, such as
class, profession, age or gender. Indeed the father of modern linguistics, Ferdinand
de Saussure (1857-1913), saw language as a type of social behavior and in this he
reflected French sociological thinking of his day, above all that of his contemporary
Emile Durkheim (1858-1917). But a set of independent, objective principles, in short a
methodology for investigating social factors in language use, was not available until
some decades after the advent of Saussurean structuralism. In the early 1960s a
number of linguists in America began to investigate English usage in the United States
from a social point of view. Since then there has been a flood of publications in this vein,
primarily in America but soon afterwards in Europe as well (notably in Britain).

IMP

http://mpbou.edu.in/slm/B.Ed_SLM/bedteb1u1.pdf