meaning is attributed and used for the expression or communication of thoughts and
feelings. Language has certain things in common. They are sound-pattern, words and
grammatical structure. A sound-pattern is a group of sounds that the human can utter.
Words are sounds or sound-patterns that has a meaning. Words may stand for
objects, actions, or ideas. According to this definition, there is no resemblance
between words and objects which they describe. Grammatical structure is the manner
in which words are combined to form larger, meaningful units such as sentences.
Undoubtedly, spoken language such as German, Spanish and English are
examples of language because they are used for communication in society and they
have grammatical rules for speaking and writing. Algebra and mathematical functions
are also type of language since they have rules for expression of mathematical
meaning. For example, ‘4/5’ has a meaning, but ‘4/0’ is not mentioned for
mathematical meaning. Furthermore, the order of symbols in algebra has an effect to
the meaning. For instance, ‘x = 5x – 2’ compares with ‘x = 2 – 5x’. It has different
meaning and rule for solving the problem. This definition also includes computer
language which is a special set of symbols, letters, numerals and rules, used for the
transmission of information in computer. Computer language has rules for operating
and programming. When you use the computer, you should follow the rules in order
to operate the computer properly.
According to the definition, body language is not a language because body
language has no grammatical rules for expression of meaning. Moreover, each body
movement can show only one or two words. We cannot use body language for the
whole sentence. For example, thumb up signals very good job but you cannot use it to
express what the whole sentence you would like to say.
Animal language is not included in the definition of language because animal
language has no exactly meaning, grammatical rule and combined sentence. It’s just
an animal noise. People translate the noise by guessing or using their own opinions.
Chimpanzees’ calls are good example for discussing about this subject. “Chimpanzees
communicate with a rich repertoire of calls, probably around 50 different, distinct calls,
each of which means something different to the individual hearing it.”(Goodall, 1999)
For example, “A loud long, drawn-out wailing wraaaa call is made when a chimpanzee
comes across something unusual or dangerous. This alarm call is a very savage sound.”
( The Jane Goodall Institute, 2002). However, Chimpanzees use different alarm to signal
different types of danger. When chimpanzees find a new source of food, they still use
alarm call to tell the members of group. Chimpanzees’ calls have no exactly meaning.
People just observe their behaviors and guess the meaning of those calls. So animal
noise is not counted as the term of language.
Reference List
The Jane Goodall Institute.(2002). Chimpanzee ( Web Site). Retrieved 8/11/02,2002, from the World Wide Web:
Goodall, J. (1999). Chimpanzee communication (Web Site). Retrieved 8/11/02,2002,
From the World Wide Web:
