human language

Examples of human language in the following topics:

• Introduction to Human Language

  • Human language is unique because it is generative, recursive, and has displacement.
  • Specifically, human language is unique on the planet because it has the qualities of generativity, recursion, and displacement.
  • Human language is generative, which means that it can communicate an infinite number of ideas.
  • Human language is recursive.
  • Human language has displacement.

• Symbols and Nature

  • Language as a whole, therefore, is the human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication.
  • Human language is thought to be fundamentally different from and of much higher complexity than the communication systems of other species ().
  • Human language differs from communication used by animals () because the symbols and grammatical rules of any particular language are largely arbitrary, meaning that the system can only be acquired through social interaction. ()
  • Parrots mimic the sounds of human language, but have they really learned the symbolic system?
  • Animal sounds, like a dog's bark, may serve basic communication functions, but they lack the symbolic elements of human language.

• Language

  • Language may refer either to the human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such.
  • Yet another definition sees language as a system of communication that enables humans to cooperate.
  • Humans use language as a way of signalling identity with one cultural group and difference from others.
  • Human languages are usually referred to as natural languages, and the science of studying them falls under the purview of linguistics.
  • Human language is unique in comparison to other forms of communication, such as those used by animals, because it allows humans to produce an infinite set of utterances from a finite set of elements.

• Human vs. Animal Language

  • Animal language is any form of communication that shows similarities to human language; however, there are significant differences.
  • Human language is also the only kind that is modality-independent; that is, it can be used across multiple channels.
  • Verbal language is auditory, but other forms of language—writing and sign language (visual), Braille (tactile)—are possible in more complex human language systems.
  • However, it is generally accepted that she does not use syntax or grammar, and that her use of language does not exceed that of a young human child.
  • Kanzi is a bonobo, whose trainers claim that not only can he understand human language, but he can manipulate human language to create sentences.

• Human Language Development

  • Humans, especially children, have an amazing capability to learn language, and several theories exist to explain language development.
  • Humans, especially children, have an amazing ability to learn language.
  • He has observed that all children make the same type of language errors, regardless of the language they are taught.
  • Chomsky also believes in the existence of a "universal grammar," which posits that there are certain grammatical rules all human languages share.
  • However, his research does not identify areas of the brain or a genetic basis that enables humans' innate ability for language.

• Human Language and the Brain

  • Without the brain, there would be no language.
  • The human brain has a few areas that are specific to language processing and production.
  • Patients with Broca's can often still understand language, but they cannot speak fluently.
  • This diagram shows the areas of the brain associated with languages.
  • The areas of the brain necessary for language.

• The Origins of Language

  • The origin of language in the human species is a widely discussed topic.
  • The opposite viewpoint is that language is such a unique human trait that it cannot be compared to anything found among non-humans and that it must therefore have appeared fairly suddenly in the transition from pre-hominids to early man.
  • Currently the only prominent proponent of a discontinuity theory of human language origins is Noam Chomsky.
  • Alternatively early human fossils can be inspected to look for traces of physical adaptation to language use or for traces of pre-linguistic forms of symbolic behaviour.
  • The origin of language in the human species is a widely discussed topic.

• Introduction to Language

  • Complex language is one of the defining factors that makes us human.
  • Every human language has a lexicon—the sum total of all of the words in that language.
  • By using grammatical rules to combine words into logical sentences, humans can convey an infinite number of concepts.
  • Linguistics views language in an objective way, using the scientific method and rigorous research to form theories about how humans acquire, use, and sometimes abuse language.
  • These two heavily overlapping subfields cover all the sounds that humans can make, as well as which sounds make up different languages.

• References

  • Ashcraft, M.H. (1994).Human memory and cognition (2nd Ed.).
  • Principles of Language Teaching and Learning (2nd Ed.).
  • What the "good language learner" can teach us.
  • H. (1975).What can we learn from the good language learner?
  • The Canadian Modern Language Review 31:304-318.

• Linguistic Relativity

  • Language and thought tend to influence one another in a dual, cyclical relationship.
  • It is easy to wonder which comes first, the thought or the language.
  • Can thought exist without language?
  • For example, different words mean different things in different languages; not every word in every language has a one-to-one exact translation in a different language.
  • However, recent research has supported the idea that human color perception is governed more by biological and physical rather than linguistic constraints, regardless of how many color words a language has.