Language and You

The Key to the Future

What is Language?

A way to transmit thoughts or

feelings from one person’s mind
to another person’s mind ….

A code that assigns particular

sounds (or combinations of
sounds) to particular thoughts
or feelings.
What does this mean?  

All the people who agree with

each other about what
particular combinations of
sounds (the “language code”)
mean can communicate with
each other.

We call a group of people who

agree on a common “language
code” a speech community.
How does this work?  

Caballo!
?
Different Languages?  

Caballo!
?
Horse!
How does this help me?

The more people with whom you

can communicate ….

... the more things you can share,

learn, make, or do!
 Access to knowledge!  

Over a quarter of the world’s books are

published in English -- twice as many as in
Chinese (in second place), and four times as
many as in Spanish (in fifth place).
 English speakers … and learners  !

There are now more than 2 billion people who either

speak English or are learning to speak English.
 English speakers … and learners  !

The number of people currently learning English is

five times the number of native speakers.
 And the nation that now has the largest
number of English speakers and learners is…?  

CHINA!

By 2025, there will be more English speakers in China than

in the entire rest of the world!
 Talk to the world
and the world talks to you  

Hello! Hi!
Carl Edlund Anderson
carl.anderson@unisabana.edu.co
University of The Sabana