FREE ESSAY ON LANGUAGE IS COMMUNICATION

LANGUAGE IS COMMUNICATION

When we think of an intelligent being we think of someone like us, a creature that is able
to think and communicate effectively . Communication or language is a process every child
learns from birth, and we continue to use it until our death. The structure of our
language gives us the ability for abstract thinking. Because of this we are able to
expand our knowledge and evolve as a society. 
Language is a system of terms that are used in a particular manner and carry a particular
meaning. The building blocks of language are words, each one carries a meaning which
Langer describes in her essay Language and thought as having symbolic significance.
Symbols and signs are the words of the language, where symbols can trigger a particular
thought and not just a mere announcement of an object as signs do. This symbolic
expression allows us to think outside of our immediate stimuli, and this is " a tangent
that takes us far away from the mere biological cycle that animal generations
accomplish."(Langer 27). This gives us the ability to think of the past, the present and
most importantly the ability to dream. 
So if symbolic meaning of words is what makes language, how did it evolve? One theory is
that language evolved from signs, which are used by animals. In her essay Langer discards
this theory on the basis of language being "symbolic, not signific"(29). This makes sense
because we use language to hold ideas and important events in our mind. At the same time
symbols can be an extension of signs combined with more evolved thinking. As the debate
over development of language continues one thing we know foe sure, language is an ever
evolving process, "Languages are not invented; they grow with our need for
expression"(Langer 30).
With human evolution, a need for language and communication has become as Langer calls it
an "organic need." This suggests that communication is vital to man just as water or
food. In an essay A Word for Everything written by Helen Keller she describes her
experiences as being deaf and blind child trying to understand language and
communication. After she learns that words have meaning and symbolic messages she is able
to use language not only to communicate her ideas but also to expand her knowledge, " I
learned more words, my field of inquiry broadened, and I would return again and again to
the same subject eager for further information"(Keller 59). As she learns the basic
concept of language she is able to experience scholarship that helps her become an
intelligent person. 
Malcolm X describes how his knowledge and intellect was expanded through his studies of
language in his essay Homemade Education. When imprisoned in jail he feels a need to be
able to express himself better and more accurately, so he studies the language by
memorizing words and their meanings from a dictionary. Just like Keller through language
he is able to broaden his knowledge, "Anyone who has read a great deal can imagine the
new world that opened"(Malcolm X 55). Both of these great scholars became knowledgeable
through their studies and exposure to language. 
When a person learns about history or mechanics or even reads the newspaper he or she
begins formulating their own ideas. This causes a person to take action to improve a
certain situation. Because of this we as humans have evolved as a highly intelligent
society, we are able to use language not only to communicate with each other but we are
able to enlighten and educate ourselves. We are able to not only share ideas but also to
formulate our own helping the human race to continue evolving.
Language and its use symbols has set us apart from the rest of the animal world. Because
of language we can share ideas, educate ourselves and improve our lives. Language helps
us as a society to keep evolving, without it we still would have been like apes pointing
fingers at what we see.