What Is Language?

Language is the means  through which we communicate with each other. It is the expression of thoughts by means of speech sounds. Language has certain characteristics: It is symbolic ; it is arbitrary ; it is system of systems; it is a social phenomenon.

Communications is not the only function performed by language .Linguists have identified situations where communication is irrelevant or of marginal significance e.g. greeting each other or when we are using language as an instrument of though .Speech and written ,both forms of language are equally important. Some languages are considered superior to the others because of the economic and political development of its speakers, Some languages are considered as divine and therefore superior to other languages.

All these assumptions are misconceptions for a student of language. An other widely held misconception about language is the concept of "primitive language". It is believed that in the past , the language was simple ,comprising of a limited vocabulary. If it were true how would the speakers of such language would express their abstract beliefs? Fact of the matter is that there were no " stone age" or "bronze age of languages". Human civilization has developed from "stone age" to today's so called modern form ,but this is not true of language, The complexity of primitive  languages can be compared with the complexity of today's languages.