"Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary."
The system of communication using symbols, such as words and gestures, that allows humans to convey and share information.
Linguistics: This is the scientific study of language, its structure, and its development. It is the study of how language is formed, how it changes and how it impacts culture.
Syntax: This is the study of the rules, principles, and processes that govern the structure of sentences.
Semantics: This is the study of meaning in language. It is concerned with the relationship between words and their meanings, and how words are used in different contexts.
Pragmatics: This is the study of how language is used in context, beyond its literal meaning. It focuses on the communication aspect of language.
Phonetics: This is the study of the physical properties of sound and how they are used to create speech sounds.
Phonology: This is the study of the sound system of a language, including the rules for combining sounds.
Psycholinguistics: This is the study of how the mind processes and produces language. It is the intersection of psychology and linguistics.
Neurolinguistics: This is the study of how language is processed in the brain. It is the intersection of neuroscience and linguistics.
Language Acquisition: This is the study of how humans acquire language. It is concerned with the acquisition of spoken and written language.
Language Universals: This is the study of the features of language that are common to all human languages. It focuses on the similarities and differences between languages.
Language and Culture: This is the study of the relationship between language and culture. It is concerned with how language is used to express cultural values and beliefs.
Language and Identity: This is the study of how language is used to construct and express identity. It is concerned with the speech patterns and language choices of different social groups.
Language and Power: This is the study of how language is used to exert power and control. It is concerned with how language is used in different social, political and economic contexts.
Speech Act Theory: This is the study of how language is used to perform actions. It is concerned with how language can be used to make requests, give orders, make promises, and so on.
Contextualism: This is the view that the meaning of a linguistic expression depends on the context in which it is used. It opposes the idea that the meaning of a sentence is fixed and can be determined independently of its context.
Formalism: This is the view that the meaning of a linguistic expression can be reduced to its formal properties. It is concerned with the mathematical and logical properties of language.
Cognitive Linguistics: This is the study of how language reflects and shapes cognitive processes. It is concerned with the relationship between language and thought.
Structuralism: This is the view that the structure of language is fundamental to understanding language. It emphasizes the importance of the underlying structures of language, rather than the individual sounds and words.
Post-structuralism: This is the view that language is not fixed and rigid, but is constantly changing and shifting. It emphasizes the role of power and social structures in shaping language.
Deconstruction: This is the process of analyzing language to reveal the hidden meanings and assumptions that underlie it. It is concerned with the ways in which language is used to maintain social hierarchies and power imbalances.
Natural Language: The language we use in everyday communication, such as English, French, or Spanish. Natural language is often used to express our thoughts and emotions.
Formal Language: A language that is highly structured and defined by clear rules of grammar and syntax. Formal languages are often used in science, mathematics, and logic.
Artificial Language: A language created by humans for a specific purpose, such as computer programming languages or constructed languages like Esperanto.
Universal Language: A language that is common to all human beings, such as sign language or music.
Mind-Dependent Language: A language that is dependent on the mind, such as the language of thought or mental imagery.
Mental Language: A language that is used internally by the mind, such as the language of beliefs, desires, and intentions.
Animal Language: A system of communication used by nonhuman animals, such as the vocalizations of birds or the gestures of primates.
Machine Language: A language used by machines to communicate with each other, such as computer protocols or programming languages.
Conceptual Language: A language that is used to convey abstract concepts or ideas, such as philosophical or scientific terminology.
Symbolic Language: A language that uses symbols, such as written or visual symbols, to convey meaning.
"It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and written forms."
"The vast majority of human languages have developed writing systems that allow for the recording and preservation of the sounds or signs of language."
"Human language is characterized by its cultural and historical diversity, with significant variations observed between cultures and across time."
"Human languages possess the properties of productivity and displacement, which enable the creation of an infinite number of sentences."
"The use of human language relies on social convention and is acquired through learning."
"Estimates of the number of human languages in the world vary between 5,000 and 7,000."
"In other words, human language is modality-independent, but written or signed language is the way to inscribe or encode the natural human speech or gestures."
"When used as a general concept, 'language' may refer to the cognitive ability to learn and use systems of complex communication."
"The scientific study of language is called linguistics."
"Critical examinations of languages, such as philosophy of language, the relationships between language and thought, how words represent experience, etc., have been debated..."
"Thinkers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778) have argued that language originated from emotions."
"Others like Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) have argued that languages originated from rational and logical thought."
"Language is processed in many different locations in the human brain, but especially in Broca's and Wernicke's areas."
"Humans acquire language through social interaction in early childhood, and children generally speak fluently by approximately three years old."
"...language has social uses such as signifying group identity, social stratification, as well as use for social grooming and entertainment."
"Languages evolve and diversify over time, and the history of their evolution can be reconstructed by comparing modern languages..."
"A group of languages that descend from a common ancestor is known as a language family."
"A language that has been demonstrated to not have any living or non-living relationship with another language is called a language isolate."
"Academic consensus holds that between 50% and 90% of languages spoken at the beginning of the 21st century will probably have become extinct by the year 2100."