Characteristics and Functions of Language
Characteristics of Language Ø Language is Uniquely Human : Lelia Lord et al (2012) in Cape Communication Studies examined some key words in anthropologist Edward Sapir’s definition of language: “ Language is a purely human and non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions and desires by means of a system of voluntarily produced symbols .” Lord et al noted, “ Only humans have the physical capability to pronounce the wide variety of sounds that are used in the world’s languages . The human brain capacity also provides the ability to deal with complex issues, to reason and to plan for the future. Even though higher-order apes can be taught to recognize words and human sounds through rigorous training, they never achieve language more sophisticated than that of a two-year-old.” As Veronica Simon and Sandra Osborne (2009) highlighted in CAPE Communication Studies , “While parrots and parakeets can be taught to reproduce sound sequences, they cannot be...