Language is a marvelous thing. Every langue consists of limited number of sounds, a limited number of ways in which these sounds can be combined to form words, and a limited number of rules for combining word in to sentences. For example, English has about 45 sound pattern and about 30 pattern for combining these sounds sentences. Yet from these limited quantities of sounds and limited number of rules and pattern for combing these sounds, a speaker of English can produce an unlimited number of sentences that will be understood by other speaker of English.
The above is true of all languages. All languages are systematic. That is, all languages have internally consistent system of rules for combining sounds into speech that is comprehensible to all those who speak the same language. There is no such thing as a “primitive” language, meaning an incomplete or rule-deficient language. Both culture can discuss concrete things and abstract ideas. Both culture can use their language to gossip, to lie, to tell jokes, to tell stories, and discuss life.
And all human beings of normal hearing and adequate intelligence learn at least one language. Babies who are born deaf cannot hear language have trouble learning to speak. (They can, nevertheless, learn another systematic form of language called sign language.) Also some severely retarded children can fail to learn a complete language system. The rest of us, however, learn the basics of our fist languages by the time we are five years old, a remarkable achievement.
Source: More Reason for Reading, 1992 p.3-4
The above is true of all languages. All languages are systematic. That is, all languages have internally consistent system of rules for combining sounds into speech that is comprehensible to all those who speak the same language. There is no such thing as a “primitive” language, meaning an incomplete or rule-deficient language. Both culture can discuss concrete things and abstract ideas. Both culture can use their language to gossip, to lie, to tell jokes, to tell stories, and discuss life.
And all human beings of normal hearing and adequate intelligence learn at least one language. Babies who are born deaf cannot hear language have trouble learning to speak. (They can, nevertheless, learn another systematic form of language called sign language.) Also some severely retarded children can fail to learn a complete language system. The rest of us, however, learn the basics of our fist languages by the time we are five years old, a remarkable achievement.
Source: More Reason for Reading, 1992 p.3-4
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