Language is integral to our culture. It is how we share ideas, express our beliefs, and collaborate with others to strive towards a worthy ideal. Though the primary language of our country is English, our national motto which was adopted in 1776 is “e pluribus unum”, meaning “out of many one” is Latin. Beyond this example, Latin has an extremely heavy influence on the English language. Though many people consider it to be a dead language, it is not as Latin continues to shape American lives as it is still used today to express our ideas and is used universally to classify phenomena and creatures in science.
Before language can be defined we must first recognize what it is comprised of: symbols, sounds, and speech. “Symbols are sounds or meanings
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Dialects are variations of a language that are spoken in a smaller region of a country, but Latin was spoken throughout the majority of the Roman Empire which comprised multiple modern-day countries. An example of a dialect would be Swedish and Danish, these are two separate languages but they share enough words and structural rules that the native speakers of these languages adjust to each other’s communication differences with little trouble. In addition, colloquialisms are words or phrases that are not formal and bad grammar occurs when the rules of a written language governing how sentences and phrases are organized are broken. In the United States an example of a colloquialism would the use of the word “y’all” in the South which is informal and the use of the alternative word “ you guys” in the North. In addition, an example of bad grammar would be the simple misspelling of a word. A language is a set of rules that govern how sentences and phrases are organized and Latin has own unique set of rules that sets it apart from all other languages, so it must be considered a …show more content…
A dead language is a language that is no longer spoken in everyday use. Examples of actual dead languages are Ancient Egyptian, Old Norse, Ancient Greek, and Coptic. In order for one to make a claim that it is a dead language one would have to ignore its continued presence, and influence on the majority of Romance languages such as English, Spanish, and French, Latin never died it simply transformed. Latin is actively used today throughout in many branches of science examples being medical, biology, botany, zoology, architecture, and geography. For example, the scientific classifications of all known living things are written in Latin using seven different groups: Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. Though no one is fluent in Latin anymore, it is commonly learned by scholars so it made a great lingua franca in the European scientific community. Latin’s influence on English is so prominent that if one studies Latin they tend to be able to intuitively recognize and define vocabulary words they have not encountered
Macaronic Latin is a peculiar style within Neo-Latin literature that has an unusually large number of hybrid words, wherein the endings are Latin and the stems come from another language. Typical macaronic verses look like the following:
Not Only English: Affirming America's Multilingual Heritage. 1990. The. ERIC. Web. The Web.
Language is defined as the method of human communication either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words, in a structured or conventional way. Communication is the interaction or exchange of information or news(Webster, 2013).
Language is defined as a "system of words formed from such combinations and patterns, used by the people of a particular country or by a group of people with a shared history or set of traditions (Microsoft Bookshelf. 1996-1997 edition)." Ebonics is a form of communication of feelings, thoughts, opinions and ideas at is being used by ou...
Language can bring people together but can also isolate. The United States is known as a melting pot, not only does that refer to culture but also the many different languages. We know of language barriers, but very seldom do we think of the language barriers within our borders. Even with the language barriers it solidifies the need for a national language, the United States of America should allow the freedom to express one’s culture while maintaining English as our national language, therefore offering common ground to its citizens.
Mujica, Mauro E. “Why the U.S Needs an Official Language.” Worldandi.com. 2003. Web. 31 July 2011. .
As a linguist the question of what makes a language a language is a very important concept.
Language refers to the method that humans use to communicate, either through speech or written. It consists of the use of the word in a structured and conventional way. Language has been referred to as ‘our means of classifying and ordering the world; our means of manipulating reality’. In structure and in its use, we bring the world into realisation and if it is inherently inaccurate, then we are misled. Dale Spender, 1980.Language has power that allows us to make sense out of the reality we live in.
Language is universal, but there are different meanings and sounds, which vary from one culture to another. In China citizens speak many languages, but about 94% speak the Chinese language. The difference in dialects was overcome by the written word and eventually a version of Mandrin became the “official speech” (The Cambridge Illustrated History of China, 1996,p.304). In America there are many ethnic groups with many varieties of language. The U.S. was created through many people from different countries migrating to the new states. In the U.S. there is an “official speech” which is the English language. The language of both these countries are not only different in meaning and sound, but also reflect the way in which the people in these societies live, believe, and function.
English becoming the official Language of the United States is not just a controversial topic, it is necessary to keep America alive. American history and tradition is falling, and the ground on which she was founded is slowly fading. Americans must wake up to the importance of preserving the history of their culture. America is considered to be the greatest country in the world by even some who are not Americans. The “American Dream” is something people fantasize over all around the world. In order to keep the desire to be American, one must truly understand what it takes to be American. English is essential in living the American life. English should be the official language of the United States to give the people what they want, to recognize the historic role, and to limit controversy.
Language is a form of verbal communication via words and its pronunciation that is used and comprehended by various people of the same nation, culture, or geographical background. It has been said to be dated back as far as one thousand years ago before writing. Like culture, language is passed on through the process of enculturation. Meaning that it is something that is learned (Kottak, 101). In the video, “TED TALK:
Language is a method in which individuals communicate in order to get their opinion across to the listening party. Language is the tool which ideas can be conveyed in various ways. Typically, language is referred to verbal communication, however, it ranges to all methods of communication i.e. sign language.
To start with, I do not want to narrowly define language as merely verbal communication. Language is far broader than that. In a few seconds a person walking past you on the street could tell you more about themselves with a sincere smile than they could with a few rushed words. Language encompasses all aspects of communication that enhance the level of our interaction. The tone in our voice demonstrating our feelings on a topic or our body language indicating our level of interest are just as important in interaction as verbally communicating content. There for I define language as any act that is involved in the interaction between two or more people.
...nology is moving ahead at the speed of light. With all this advancement comes the inevitable need for a language that unifies the world. The need for a common language to conduct our business and economic affairs, and our need to communicate internationally on political and world interventions has made English the leader in world languages. It is not the language spoken first by most, but it the language that the world uses when it comes together to communicate.
Language is nothing but a media which expresses feelings, ideas, experiences and even pains properly to others. Cultural background is the origin of language. Language is one of the channels which promote human relations and human affections. Language always unites the people and sometimes language itself diverse the people. Without the language we cannot imagine the existence of human beings on the earth. Language is a system of words that people used to express thoughts, feelings each other. The word ‘language’ derived from Latin “lingua” which means ‘tongue, speech’. The word sometimes used to refer to codes, ciphers and other kind of communication systems. For example computer programming.