University Center of Illizi (2023-2024) Faculty of Letters and Language

First Year LMD Students Department of English

Linguistics (2)

3.3. Difference between Human Language and Animal Communication

Human Language Animal Communication

Unlimited Limited and finite

Open system Closed system

Extendible Inextendible

Flexible and varied Non-inflexible

Non-intrinsic Instinctive

Acquired Inherent

Creativity Non-creativity

Has grammaticality No grammaticality

3.4. Why do we Study Language?

Not only is human language important to us as a means of communication, it’s a uniquely human ability.
Language is central to human life; it pervades most of aspects of human life such as arts (music and literature),
religion (sacred books, rituals, prayers, etc.), witchcraft, spread of knowledge, translation, psychology (diagnosis
of psychological pathologies), politics (canvassing and voting), business (contracts, money, etc.), etc. Because of
the centrality of language in human life, the study of language allows us to understand the nature of what it is to
be human.

Conclusion
In General, people in their daily life tend to use the term language to signify many aspects of human and animal
communication such as the language of flowers, the language of colours, the language of perfumes, the language
of bees, body language, the language of dreams, the language of traffic lights, etc. Surely it is not that sense of
language in which linguists are interested. One of the distinctive features of linguistics is its focus on human
verbal communication.
3.5 Language and Medium
A language is an abstraction based on the linguistic behaviour of its users. Medium is the realization of language
through speech and writing. In other words, whereas language is abstract, medium is concrete. All normal children
of all races learn to speak the language of their community, so speech has often been seen as the primary medium
of language. The abstract system which is language can also be realized as writing, and although speech and
writing have much in common, they are not to be equated or hierarchically ordered. It has been claimed that speech
is ‛primary’ and this is true in a number of ways:

a) Writing is a relatively recent development in human societies.

b) Thousands of speech communities rely solely on speech.
c) All of us speak a great deal more than we write.
d) Although we acquire speech without conscious effort, learning to read and write is usually less spontaneous and less
automatic.
e) Writing is permanent while speech is instant.

4. The Components of Language

Linguistics is concerned with the study of language systems. For the purposes of study, language is divided into
levels, or components. The study of language involves us in an examination of all of the following levels of
language: phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic levels.

4.1 Phonology: Phonology is the study of the distinctive sounds of a language, the so-called phonemes. It is a
detailed study of the sound system of a language. Phonology examines the functions of sounds within a language.
Its ultimate aim is to discover the principles which govern the sound system of a language.

4.2 Morphology: Morphemes are the smallest meaningful elements of a language. Morphology is the study of
these meaning units. Not all words or even all syllables are necessarily meaning units. Morphology employs
discovery procedures to find out what words or syllables are morphemes.

4.3 Syntax: Syntax is derived from the Greek word syntaxis, which means arrangement. It deals with the basic
principles which govern the way in which words are arranged in a sentence.

4.4 Semantics: Linguistic semantics examines the meaning and the change of meaning of linguistic signs and
strings of signs.

4.5 Pragmatics: Pragmatics is the study of the meaning of utterances in context. For example, the sentence It’s
cold in here could be interpreted as “close the windows” in certain contexts or situations.

5. Functions of language
a) Phatic function: Language is used to establish an atmosphere or maintain social contact between the speaker
and the hearer. Greetings, farewells, and comments on the weather serve this function. For example, the
expressions such as “How do you do?” and “Ah, here you are”, do not convey any meaning, but are used to
establish a common sentiment between the speaker and the hearer.
b) Directive function: Language is used to get the hearer to do something. Most imperative sentences are of this
function. For example, the sentence “Close your book and listen to me carefully!” performs a directive function.

c) Informative function: Language is used to tell something, to give information, or to reason things out.
Declarative sentences serve this function. For instance, the symbol “Road Closed” on a road has such an
informative function.

d) Interrogative function: Language is used to ask for information from others. All questions expecting replies
serve this function. “What’s your idea?”, “What time is it now?”, “What is it like?”, “How old are you?”, and
the like are quite commonly used to perform the interrogative function. However, rhetorical questions do not
have the interrogative function, such as Shelly’s famous line “If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?”

f) Expressive function: Language is used to reveal the speaker’s attitudes and feelings. Ejaculations serve this
function, such as “My God!” and “Good heavens!”

g) Evocative function: Language is used to create certain feelings in the hearers. Jokes, advertising, and
propaganda serve this function.

h) Performative function: Language is used to do things or to perform acts. The judge’s imprisonment
sentences, the president’s declaration of war or the Queen’s naming of a ship, etc., serve this function. At a
meeting, for instance, as soon as the chairman says “I declare the meeting open”, the meeting has started.