H3511YE ELO1

1.3 Describing features or characteristics of a language

1.3 Describing features or
characteristics of a language
 Language as Human
Criterion
 A means of communication is needed, which is called language
 With language man can express his ideas and wishes to other people such
as when he needs their help so that close operation among members of
the group can be carried out.
To identify human beings

 Human language is different from animal “language”

 Talk about things

connected with his
biological needs

 Talk about something

which are remote in space
and time.
The sounds produced by man are
varied

 He can pronounce such vowels as /a,i,u,e,

o/, or consonants like /b,p,t,d,m,n,v,f,z,s/
etc.
 Accordingly, only human beings own and use language,
which is the regarded as a human criterion, whereas
animals or many other species do not.
Language is systematic

 Language must be set according to a certain definite

pattern, so that the utterance can be understood.

 Look at these two examples. One is wrong and the other is correct. What
makes the incorrect one incorrect?

 Father my come tomorrow will home.

 My father will come home tomorrow.

 It does not make sense because the signaling units of word here are not
arranged according to characteristic patterns in English
Language is said to be "arbitrary", which
means that is based on social agreement.

 There is no logical or necessary relation between words and

their meanings.

 In English: Goat

 In Javanese: Wedus

 In Indonesian: Kambing

 That is just what English, Javanese, and Indonesian People

agree among themselves to name the animal in their own
respective language.
 This arbitrariness also applies to another grammatical device:

 The Inflectional suffix-s for verb to indicate that the subject of the verb
is third person singular.

 Why?

 English people themselves cannot even tell.

Language is that is always spoken
 All human beings, wherever the live, always speak a language,
although they do not have any writing system to record
their language.
 Language is a
system of symbols,
dualism is implied
here Form Meaning
Language is that is said to be social

 The use of language enables the members of a social group which involves
at least two, the speaker and hearer.

 The use of language enables the members of a social group to corporate

with one another for their own benefits.
Language is that is said to be complete

 It is not like animal’s means of communication.

 Animal can only

‘communicate’ about
things that are related to
their biological needs.

 Human language is not limited to biological needs

 Human do communicate because he may deem necessary.

 IN SUM -
 Language is a means of communication, it is arbitrary, it is a system of
systems. Speech is primary while writing is secondary.

 Language is productive, creative, systematic, vocalic, social, non-

instinctive and conventional.

 These characteristics of language set human language apart from animal

communication.

 Five distinct characteristics of a language comprise its true definition:

 Language is a system, is dynamic (is always changing), has dialect, is

sociolect (sociolect is directly related to the speaker's social class) and
idiolect (t refers to the speech habits of an individual).