Why Is Language Important?

Language is a vital part of human connection. Although all species have their
ways of communicating, humans are the only ones that have mastered cognitive
language communication. Language allows us to share our ideas, thoughts, and
feelings with others. It has the power to build societies, but also tear them down.
It may seem obvious, but if you’re asking yourself, why is language important?
You’ll have to break it down to truly understand why.

Why Is Language Important? Language

Matters
Language is what makes us human. It is how people communicate. By learning a
language, it means you have mastered a complex system of words, structure,
and grammar to effectively communicate with others.

To most people, language comes naturally. We learn how to communicate even

before we can talk and as we grow older, we find ways to manipulate language to
truly convey what we want to say with words and complex sentences. Of course,
not all communication is through language, but mastering a language certainly
helps speed up the process. This is one of the many reasons why language is
important.

Language Is Important To Culture And

Society
Language helps us express our feelings and thoughts — this is unique to our
species because it is a way to express unique ideas and customs within different
cultures and societies.
By learning a foreign language, you can understand ideas and thoughts that may
be different from your own culture. You can learn customs and how people
interact in a given society. Language helps preserve cultures, but it also allows us
to learn about others and spread ideas quickly.

Language Is Important To Business

The importance of language in business is unmatched. Without language here, we
can’t share ideas and grow them into something more. Whether this means
learning a foreign language so you can share ideas with people who come from a
different country, or simply learning how to use language to master an interview,
demand presence in a room, or network with others, language is vital.

Language Is Important For Individuals

And Development
Humans all learn to talk at slightly different times, and observing when a child
starts to use language can be indicative of how well they are developing. But this
does not just apply to babies. It also applies to young children learning a second
language in school that’s different than the language they speak at home,
adults learning a second language, or even those who may have lost language due
to some type of accident, and are working on regaining it.

Language Is Important For Personal

Communication
Though much of human communication is non-verbal (we can demonstrate our
thoughts, feelings and ideas by our gestures, expressions, tones, and emotions)
language is important for personal communication. Whether it’s being able to
talk to your friends, your partner, or your family, having a shared language is
necessary for these types of interactions.

The Basic Functions Of Language

The main function of language is the use of language. It gives us the ability to
communicate thoughts, ideas, and feelings with others as quickly as possible. But,
within that, we can understand language more by looking at its basic functions.

1. Informative Function
The informative function of language is when we use language to communicate
any information. Essentially, its function is to inform others by being able to state
facts clearly.

2. Expressive Function
Another basic function of language is the expressive function. As it sounds, it is
used to express oneself by giving us ways to convey our feelings, emotions, and
attitudes to another person (or ourselves).

3. Directive Function
The directive function of language is a basic function that helps us to direct or
command. For example, it gives us the ability to tell ourselves or someone else
what to do in any given situation.
Different Types Of Language
In addition to language functions, there are also different types of language and
ways to understand language overall. Being able to differentiate these can help
you understand other reasons why language is so important.

Oral Vs. Written Language

In general, oral communication is spoken language meant for conversing with
others. Written language is about expressing ideas through writing words down.

Oral communication is usually more informal and faster, while written language
is more formal and slower.

Denotative Meaning Vs. Connotative Meaning

Words have a lot of meaning to them, and the meaning depends on the context
surrounding the word. This is why there is denotative meaning and connotative
meaning.

Denotative meaning is the literal definition/intention of the word, whereas

connotative meaning is when words carry positive or negative
meanings/connotations. An example of this could be “home” versus “house.”
“House” is denotative, being the literal term for this type of structure where
someone may live, whereas “home” is connotative and represents a shelter,
family, security, etc. Understanding the difference can help you understand the
intention of language.
Six Elements Of Language
There are six elements of language:

1. Clarity: Using language in a way that ensures the intended audience fully
understands your ideas; that your ideas are clear.
2. Economy: Being ‘economic’ about how you speak by avoiding any
unnecessary language. This means using only the necessary and
appropriate words to express yourself while avoiding using language your
audience won’t understand. Essentially, this means avoiding �luff or
complicated vocabulary.
3. Obscenity: This refers to ‘indecent language’, including, but not limited to,
curse words and hateful remarks.
4. Obscure Language/Jargon: This is very speci�ic language that your
audience will not understand because they are not familiar with what you
are talking about. This could be when your car mechanic explains to you
what’s wrong with your car, but you are not a car mechanic, so you are
unclear of what they’re talking about.
5. Power: This is when someone uses language to exert power over someone
to manipulate them, command them, or to get them to do something they
want. It could also be to demonstrate yourself as an authority in the room.
6. Variety: This is a speaker’s ability to use a combination of all the different
types of language aforementioned to successfully and creatively get ideas
across.

Different Language Styles

Within language, there are many different styles to fit what the speaker wants to
communicate. While some are unique to a person’s personality, some speakers
may adapt certain styles depending on the situation, even if it’s different from
how they normally speak.
1. Direct And Indirect Styles
Direct is a way to use language to indicate to a person exactly what you want to
say and/or how you’re feeling.
Indirect language means using other words or types of communication to
demonstrate you may be feeling a certain way, but without directly saying why
or what, in other words, being indirect. If you’ve ever been in an argument with a
significant other, you probably have experienced both of these language styles.

2. Personal And Contextual Styles

These two language styles are a bit more complex. In general, personal style
refers to an individual’s personal way of speaking, is informal, and focuses on
that individual.
Contextual styles means changing language depending on the context of a
situation. For instance, a professor may use their personal style of speaking with
friends and colleagues, and a contextual style when lecturing their students.

3. Untranslatable Words
Untranslatable words are words or phrases that we have to adapt from other
languages because we do not have a word that means the same thing in our own
language. A good example is how we say “Bon Appetit!”, because we don’t have a
good translation.

Using Language Effectively

Language has so many benefits to humans, but it can also be problematic if
language is used ineffectively. This is why it’s important to be mindful of how you
are using language in any situation.
1. Use Appropriate Language
Using appropriate language does not just mean avoiding obscene language (there
may be times when that is actually appropriate for the situation!). It means using
language that’s appropriate for your audience, that they can understand, relate
to, and engage with.

2. Use Vivid Language

To use vivid language is to use imagery in your language, to describe something
as vividly as possible. It may mean using more adjectives or onomatopoeia to
illustrate what you’re saying.

3. Use Inclusive Language

Inclusive language means using language that does not exclude any person. For
instance, instead of using “he or she” to address an audience, the correct term is
“they” to include people who may not identify with a particular gender. It also
means avoiding any language that is racist, sexist, misogynist, hateful,
presumptuous, prejudiced, etc.

Language Is Changing Along With The

Culture
When discussing topics like inclusive language, it’s easy to recognize that
language, today, is changing alongside culture. With technology comes trends or
different ways of speaking, like how many teenagers or young people use slang
when they speak. When societies become more open-minded and progressive,
we start accepting that there are many other ways of speaking language.
Many of us know the answer to why is language important, but we often take
language for granted or actually don’t think about it. Language is an important
life skill, particularly in school and in the workplace.