Language is thought to have gradually diverged from earlier primate communication systems when early hominins acquired the ability to form a theory of mind and shared intentionality. Major figures in contemporary linguistics of these times include Ferdinand de Saussure and Noam Chomsky.
Twentieth century philosophers such as Wittgenstein (1889–1951) argued that philosophy is really the study of language itself. Thinkers such as Rousseau (1712–1778) have debated that language originated from emotions, while others like Kant (1724–1804), have held that languages originated from rational and logical thought. Critical examinations of languages, such as philosophy of language, the relationships between language and thought, etc., such as how words represent experience, have been debated at least since Gorgias and Plato in ancient Greek civilization. The scientific study of language is called linguistics. Oral, manual and tactile languages contain a phonological system that governs how symbols are used to form sequences known as words or morphemes, and a syntactic system that governs how words and morphemes are combined to form phrases and utterances. All languages rely on the process of semiosis to relate signs to particular meanings. In other words, human language is modality-independent, but written or signed language is the way to inscribe or encode the natural human speech or gestures.ĭepending on philosophical perspectives regarding the definition of language and meaning, when used as a general concept, "language" may refer to the cognitive ability to learn and use systems of complex communication, or to describe the set of rules that makes up these systems, or the set of utterances that can be produced from those rules. Natural languages are spoken, signed, or both however, any language can be encoded into secondary media using auditory, visual, or tactile stimuli – for example, writing, whistling, signing, or braille. Precise estimates depend on an arbitrary distinction (dichotomy) being established between languages and dialects.
Human languages have the properties of productivity and displacement, and rely on social convention and learning.Įstimates of the number of human languages in the world vary between 5,000 and 7,000. Human language is not dependent on a single mode of transmission (sight, sound, etc.) and is highly variable between cultures and across time. Many languages, including the most widely-spoken ones, have writing systems that enable sounds or signs to be recorded for later reactivation. Languages are the primary means of communication of humans, and can be conveyed through spoken, sign, or written language. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Language is a structured system of communication.
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