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September 18, 2005
What is language?
Language could be said to be the most important things that we have as human beings. Language allows us basic communication with each other as well as "more cultural" activities such as reading and writing. Without language, who knows what the world would be like? It would most certainly be a place of misunderstanding and unnecessary violence..if we still existed at all. All animals have ways of communicating with each other, and although ours seems to be more complex, it still serves the same basic function: to be able to communicate with each other. Language is also grammar and sentences and rules, but I think the most important thing about it is that it gives us some way to understand each other and be able to relate to one another.
You are much more likely to learn a new word than you are to learn an entire new sentence. A word is simply that, just one word, but a sentence consists of multiple words. People don't usually learn new sentences, they learn new words that enable them to create their own new sentences. I think people are learning new words everywhere they go, because language is all around you, on tv, the newspaper, the radio...it is so easy to see a new word that you don't know and learn what it means, but when are you ever going to see an entire sentence of words you don't know?
Posted by lcismardin at September 18, 2005 03:15 PM
Comments
Katie,
I agree with you completely. What would the world be like if we had no language? I can't even begin to imagine. It's not just language as in spoken words, but also symbols, sign language, and such. Language is who we are, I totally agree, and without it would we still exist? I agree with your post, Katie!
Posted by: Rachel at September 25, 2005 07:45 PM