LANGUAGE

What is LANGUAGE?

• It is arbitrary;
• It is system;
• It is culture-based; and
• It is used for communication and interaction.

ORIGINS OF LANGUAGE

• THE DIVINE SOURCE: In the biblical tradition, as described in the book of Genesis, God created Adam and "whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was name thereof."

ORIGINS OF LANGUAGE

• THE NATURAL SOUND SOURCE: Primitive words could have been imitations of the natural sounds which early men and women heard around them.

ORIGINS OF LANGUAGE

• THE SOCIAL INTERACTION SOURCE: The sounds of a person involved in physical effort could be the source of our language, especially when that physical effort involved several people and the interaction had to be coordinated.

ORIGINS OF LANGUAGE

• THE PHYSICAL ADAPTATION SOURCE: The types of physical features humans possess, especially those that are distinct from other creatures, may have been able to support production.

ORIGINS OF LANGUAGE

• THE TOOL-MAKING SOURCE: Humans had developed right-handedness and had become capable of making stone tools.

ORIGINS OF LANGUAGE

• THE GENETIC SOURCE: Human offspring are born with a special capacity for language. It is innate, no other creature seems to have it, and it isn't tied to a specific variety of language.

FUNCTIONS OF HUMAN LANGUAGE:

• REGULATORY

FUNCTIONS OF HUMAN LANGUAGE:

• INTERPERSONAL

FUNCTIONS OF HUMAN LANGUAGE:

• PERSONAL

FUNCTIONS OF HUMAN LANGUAGE:

• HEURISTIC

FUNCTIONS OF HUMAN LANGUAGE:

• IMAGINATIVE

FUNCTIONS OF HUMAN LANGUAGE:

• REPRESENTATIONAL