1. Language is defined as the ôcommunication of thoughts and feelings through a system of arbitrary signalsö (Answers.com, language), and linguistics is ôthe study of the nature, structure, and variation of language, including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, sociolinguistics, and pragmaticsö (Answers.com, linguistics). A linguist is ôone who specializes in linguisticsö (The Free Dictionary). Learning about language and linguistics is valuable to teachers for several reasons: it makes them better communicators, and it helps them understand the nature of language so that they can better explain it to their students.
2. The ability to produce and perceive speech differentiates humans from all other creatures, because it enables them to communicate verbally rather than by body language, actions, or unintelligible sounds. This equips humans to engage in much more detailed and accurate communication than other creatures.
3. Language is rightfully described as ôa creative system.ö With language, we can convey a variety of sensory and cognitive perceptions and thoughts: feelings, visual information, concepts, and instructions. Furthermore, language can be used to artfully combine words to denote different tones, such as angry, happy, or annoyed. Language provides words with meanings that can be combined in a virtually unlimited manner to express a complete range of ideas in a very precise and personal manner.
4. Although people groups can be primitive in their adaptations to their environment, it is true that there is no such thing as a primitive language. Any language has the capacity to be used in a simple or complex manner. For example, an English-speaking baby can say, ôMe want cookie,ö and he has communicated his thought as completely as he needs to, albeit simply. His mother can say, ôI would like an almond biscotti dipped in dark chocolate,ö and she is speaking the sa
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