What is Language?

 Medium of Communication
Language is importance to human’s daily-life since they have to communicate with others. The
medium for people to communicate is, whether written or spoken, languages. The primary function
of language is undoubtedly to facilitate interaction among people who may or may not come from
cultural background.
Language is a medium for interaction, exchanging ideas, understand feelings of others, and for
the development of human race existing on this planet. The only medium or basic element that
comes in use for understanding it is the language that we speak makes us understand and allows us
to live in peace and harmony by understanding the feelings and problems of others by exchange of
talks on the desk of peace.
 Arbitrary Nature of Language
Language ends up defining a culture, but how the language itself is created is ambiguous. Sure,
we have some words that make sense. For instance, the fruit an “Orange” makes sense because it is
named because of its color. However, where does the word orange come from? There seems no
logical explanation for why this word characterizes the color.
At the same time, something to consider is the way in which various languages have differing
words to describe similar objects. How can a combination of letters that means nothing to us mean
the same thing as a seemingly “meaningful” word in English? All of these languages are united in
their arbitrary nature, but success in creating a communication barrier between people.
 Scope of Reference
Human language can communicate about things that are absent as easily as about thing that are
present, it’s called as displacement.
 Acquisition
Language acquisition is the process by human by which humans acquire the capacity to perceive
and comprehend language, as well as to produce and use words and sentences to communicate.
Language acquisition is one of the quintessential human traits, because non-human do not
communicate by using language. Language acquisition usually refers to first-language acquisition,
which studies infants’ acquisition of their native language. This is distinguished from second
language acquisition, which deals with the acquisition (in both children and adults) of additional
languages.
(Wikipedia.org)
 Variety of Message
Human have a unlimited messages and they have ability to create a new word, it’s called as
“productivity”.

 Organization of Sound
Human language has a stock of sound units or Phonemes which are similar number to the basic
sounds possessed by animals. (Despite there being just 26 letters in the English language there are
approximately 44 unique sounds, also known as phonemes).
These phonemes are in themselves meaningless, but they are combined into larger meaningful
units or morphemes (the smallest unit of sound that have a meaning).
 Patterned
An item has a syntagmatic relationship with the items which can occur in combination with it:
C←A→T The ← cat → caught a mouse
An item has a paradigmatic relationship with any item which can replace it:
C A T The cat caught a Mouse
↓ ↓
B Dog
↓ ↓
R Rat

P ← Syntagmatic →
A
R The cat caught A Mouse
A
D ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
I
G A dog chased A Rat
M
A
T ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
I
C The lion ate The Chicken
- Origin and Function of Language
The origin of language. Most linguist regard fascinating topic as being outside the realm of
linguistics proper. They are more interested in studying actual language than in speculations about its
origins. But although how language began is a puzzle, why language began seems rather clearer.
The function of language, there are:
- Directive function (information Talking): impart factual information, or convey essential
commands.
- Expressive function (mood talking): Language as a way to express human emotions by screams,
grunts, sobs, gestures and so on.
- Phatic Communion: A device to maintain social contact on a friendly level. Some ethologists call
it grooming talking and suggest that it is a Substitute for the friendly grooming indulged in by
monkeys.

 What is Language?
Language, a system of conventional spoken, manual, or written symbols by means of
which human beings, as members of a social group and participants in its culture, express
themselves. The functions of language include communication, the expression of identity, play,
imaginative expression, and emotional release.
What is Language? What is Language?
 Medium of Communication  Medium of Communication
 Arbitrary (Acak)  Arbitrary (Acak)
 Scope of Reference (Displacement)  Scope of Reference (Displacement)
 Acquisition  Acquisition
 Variety of Message(productivity)  Variety of Message(productivity)
 Organization of Sound  Organization of Sound
-Phoneme -morpheme -Phoneme -morpheme
 Patterned  Patterned
-Syntagmatic -paradigmatic -Syntagmatic –paradigmatic

What is Language? What is Language?

 Medium of Communication  Medium of Communication
 Arbitrary (Acak)  Arbitrary (Acak)
 Scope of Reference (Displacement)  Scope of Reference (Displacement)
 Acquisition  Acquisition
 Variety of Message(productivity)  Variety of Message(productivity)
 Organization of Sound  Organization of Sound
-Phoneme -morpheme -Phoneme -morpheme
 Patterned  Patterned
-Syntagmatic -paradigmatic -Syntagmatic -paradigmatic

What is Language? What is Language?

 Medium of Communication  Medium of Communication
 Arbitrary (Acak)  Arbitrary (Acak)
 Scope of Reference (Displacement)  Scope of Reference (Displacement)
 Acquisition  Acquisition
 Variety of Message(productivity)  Variety of Message(productivity)
 Organization of Sound  Organization of Sound
-Phoneme -morpheme -Phoneme -morpheme
 Patterned  Patterned
-Syntagmatic -paradigmatic -Syntagmatic -paradigmatic

What is Language? What is Language?

 Medium of Communication  Medium of Communication
 Arbitrary (Acak)  Arbitrary (Acak)
 Scope of Reference (Displacement)  Scope of Reference (Displacement)
 Acquisition  Acquisition
 Variety of Message(productivity)  Variety of Message(productivity)
 Organization of Sound  Organization of Sound
-Phoneme -morpheme -Phoneme -morpheme
 Patterned  Patterned
-Syntagmatic -paradigmatic -Syntagmatic -paradigmatic