Language

Since the beginning of human history, humans have communicated with each other in some form

or another. No one really knows what the very first language was or if it is still in practice today.

For all we know, humans would have used hoots and howls to communicate with each other.

Regardless of how or when spoken languages evolved to become what they are today, one cannot

deny the fact that languages are one of the keys to communication. There are many different ways

to communicate, but language is the most common and universal; it is the primary way that we

share ideas and thoughts. In order to be an effective communicator, we need to be able to use

language to express ourselves clearly and concisely. If people cannot communicate effectively, it

can lead to misunderstandings and conflict.

Language allows us to connect with others and build relationships; it is the foundation of human

interaction and influences the way we will think and see the world; it can shape our perceptions

and affect the way we make decisions. Without language, humans would be more inclined to stay

inside their own individual bubbles. But one of the reasons that language is so influential is

because of its power to affect society and shape culture both directly and indirectly. If we look at

the freedom struggle of our country, we can say that language played an important role in uniting

us against the Britishers. The power of our native languages was such that the British had to

enforce the Vernacular Press Act to regulate the indigenous press in order to manage strong

public opinion and seditious writing expressing dissatisfaction with the government.  

Language is also an important part of our social and cultural identity. It helps us pass down

traditions and customs from one generation to the next. For instance, think of all the phrases and

sayings that we have heard throughout our lives, or the songs we sang in school, or the stories

that our grandparents used to tell us when we were children. All of it is communication, mostly in

verbal form, that we have received rather unconsciously. Some of these phrases or songs may
have disappeared from the scene, but our cultural identity still carries them with us from one

generation to the next.

It is not only in speech that language plays an important role. The written word is just as

important. Literature and language are like two sides of the same coin. It is impossible to imagine

literature without language. Since it is not always possible to communicate verbally, language

helps the various emotions and thoughts in the minds of authors, poets, or even the common man

move across the world through literature.