Meaning and Nature of Language

Without language, communicating ideas and feelings, or knowing what others think and feel, would be impossible. A child's first repetition of 'ma-ma-ma' is a great moment of joy for parents and caregivers, and is followed by learning to combine two or more words to communicate needs, feelings and thoughts — first in the language used at home (usually the mother tongue), and later in the language of instruction at school, which is often a different language.

Language consists of a system of symbols, organised by certain rules, used to communicate with each other, and it has three basic characteristics. First, the presence of symbols: a symbol represents something or someone else — 'home' for the place one lives, 'school' for the place one studies, 'food' for what one eats — and such words carry no meaning in themselves until associated with an object or event. Second, a set of rules to organise these symbols: combining words usually follows a definite, accepted order — 'I am going to school,' not 'school am going I.' Third, communication: language is used for communicating thoughts, ideas, intentions and feelings to others, sometimes through gestures or postures (non-verbal communication); people with severe hearing and speech problems communicate through signs, and sign language is also a form of language. …