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Aug 22, 2019 · August 22nd, 2019 | 5 min read Arts & Humanities. The power of language: How words shape people, culture. At Stanford, linguistics scholars seek to determine what is unique and universal about the language we use, how it is acquired and the ways it changes over time. Image credit: Getty Images.
News about Language and Languages, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.
40 Great Articles and Essays about Language and Linguistics. Essential reading about language and how it shapes our world. Linguistics. Who Decides What Words Mean? by Lane Greene. Bound by rules, yet constantly changing, language might be the ultimate self-regulating system, with nobody in charge. Hand to Mouth by Kensy Cooperrider.
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- Definitions of language
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language, a system of conventional spoken, manual (signed), 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.
Many definitions of language have been proposed. Henry Sweet, an English phonetician and language scholar, stated: “Language is the expression of ideas by means of speech-sounds combined into words. Words are combined into sentences, this combination answering to that of ideas into thoughts.” The American linguists Bernard Bloch and George L. Trager formulated the following definition: “A language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols by means of which a social group cooperates.” Any succinct definition of language makes a number of presuppositions and begs a number of questions. The first, for example, puts excessive weight on “thought,” and the second uses “arbitrary” in a specialized, though legitimate, way.
A number of considerations (marked in italics below) enter into a proper understanding of language as a subject:
Every physiologically and mentally typical person acquires in childhood the ability to make use, as both sender and receiver, of a system of communication that comprises a circumscribed set of symbols (e.g., sounds, gestures, or written or typed characters). In spoken language, this symbol set consists of noises resulting from movements of certain organs within the throat and mouth. In signed languages, these symbols may be hand or body movements, gestures, or facial expressions. By means of these symbols, people are able to impart information, to express feelings and emotions, to influence the activities of others, and to comport themselves with varying degrees of friendliness or hostility toward persons who make use of substantially the same set of symbols.
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Languages & Alphabets
Different systems of communication constitute different languages; the degree of difference needed to establish a different language cannot be stated exactly. No two people speak exactly alike; hence, one is able to recognize the voices of friends over the telephone and to keep distinct a number of unseen speakers in a radio broadcast. Yet, clearly, no one would say that they speak different languages. Generally, systems of communication are recognized as different languages if they cannot be understood without specific learning by both parties, though the precise limits of mutual intelligibility are hard to draw and belong on a scale rather than on either side of a definite dividing line. Substantially different systems of communication that may impede but do not prevent mutual comprehension are called dialects of a language. In order to describe in detail the actual different language patterns of individuals, the term idiolect, meaning the habits of expression of a single person, has been coined.
Learn about language, a system of conventional symbols by which human beings communicate and express themselves. Explore the characteristics, types, development, and functions of language, as well as its relation to culture, thought, and identity.
Jan 15, 2019 · 6 min read. Our Language Affects What We See. A new look at “the Russian blues” demonstrates the power of words to shape perception. By Catherine L. Caldwell-Harris. Getty Images. May 2019 Issue....
May 1, 2024 · Articles on Language. Displaying 1 - 20 of 714 articles. June 3, 2024. History shows that Britain has always been multilingual. Lindy Brady, Edge Hill University. By 43AD, when southern...
By Alexis Benveniste. Language and Culture. ‘Sitting Outside on a Sunny Day and Enjoying a Beer’. Words that capture an entire culinary experience or mood — such as “utepils,” in Norwegian — are...
