How Language Works summary

So, now we have an idea of what language actually is. But how is it expressed? How do we use language to communicate with each other?

The key message in this blink is: Language is primarily expressed through speech and writing.

When we start to pick apart a language to study its rules, it can seem impossibly complicated. Maybe you remember struggling to analyze sentences in grammar class. But – even without a grammar class -- we’ve all learned these fundamental rules. Just speak to almost anyone. From a pretty early age, we can all carry on a coherent conversation.

How does this happen?

One of the most common misconceptions about language is that it’s fixed, or that it’s structured around a strict set of rules. We get this idea from the so-called “grammar police,” who pounce on every little mistake like it’s the downfall of civilization. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Our languages are constantly changing. If they don’t, they die.

The key message here is: From the moment of its creation, language has been in a constant state of evolution.

We’ve talked a lot about language, but we haven’t really discussed where it came from. Which was the first language? And did all languages develop from the same source?

The questions of where language comes from and why it evolves aren’t just academic ones. Exploring these issues can help us answer why there are so many languages in the first place. To better understand questions like these, historical linguists have classified the world’s languages into what are called language families. Linguists systematically compare and contrast different languages to determine how, or if, they are related and to find a potential common source or parent language.

If language is one of the defining characteristics that makes us human, our specific language is one of the key attributes that defines us as individuals. The language we speak carries a lot of information about where we come from, our social status, and even the values and ideals we hold most dear. This is one of the biggest reasons why language remains such a volatile political issue.

But the language – or should we say languages – we speak doesn’t define us to just one place or one identity.

A language dies with the last person who speaks it. When we lose a language, we lose a specific cultural identity. We may lose invaluable scientific information related to folk medicine or anthropology. For these and other reasons, it’s vitally important to protect and preserve these endangered languages.

The key message here is: Endangered languages can be revitalized through concerted community efforts.