What is Language?

a body of words and the systems for their use common to a people who are of the same community or nation, the same geographical area, or the same cultural tradition

Spoken Language

• Our ability to use spoken language is what separates us from the rest of the animal world. • It is the most frequently used communication tool. • Spoken Language allows us to exchange ideas, facts and even emotions.

• It is one of the most fascinating and essential tools possessed by humans for thousands or millions of years.

Mary No Name Part 1 (5) Mary No Name Part 2 (7)

What is Language?

What is Language?There are Five Stages of Language

• Gestures

• Sounds

• Pictographs

• Ideographs

• Written Words

What is Language?Gestures• A movement of the hands, arms or head to express an

idea or feeling.• Communication without words• Do not necessarily have the same meaning from one

place to another• 4 Types of Gestures

• Universal – people around the world recognize the

meaning

• Native – used by a particular group of people

• Personal – specific to a person

• Infantile – only children use

our emotions

okay, knock on wood, crazy

Twirling hair, rubbing hands, tapping foot or finger, scratching, etc.

pointing, turning head away, throwing things, clinching fists

Gestures #1 (3:05-3:45) 9 mins.Gestures #2 1 min.Gestures #3 7mins.

Gestures #5 3mins.

What is Language?Sounds

• The development of spoken human language requires the development of the vocal tract used for speech production and the cognitive abilities required to understand and produce linguistic utterances. (Wikipedia)

• Many scientists believe that sounds developed out of need.

• Hunters worked in teams. They couldn’t always see each others gestures so they came up with sounds to communicate with.

• As individuals created more and more tools to use, their hands were busy. They developed more sounds to use for communicating with each other.

Pictographs

• Pictographs are symbols or drawings that represent specific objects.

• The first type of messages that we find in the history records were a series of pictures that told a story; examples of pictographs.

• Can you think of any examples?

What is Language?

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Pictographs

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What is Language?

Ideographs

• Ideographs are symbols or drawings for items that cannot be pictured

• These are ideas and actions that are abstract (love, hate, truth, honesty, etc.).

• Most Asian languages use this method such as Chinese.

• Can you think of any other examples?

What is Language?

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What is Language?

Visual Representation of Music davidtudor.org

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TEST ON ThursdayWe will Review on Tuesday and Wednesday

Pictographs & Ideographs

What is Language?

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nps.gov

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What is Language?Written Language

• Is represented by symbols.

• In order to read, we must rely on written language.

• Written language has not existed as long as Spoken language however.

• Brief History of Written Language (3)

• Birth of Writing (3)

Writing SystemsWriting Systems• Writing systems are a set of symbols or characters that represent sounds of speech

• The first to use the alphabet were the Phoenicians and the Hebrews.

• They created a symbol for each syllable of a word which developed the first phonetic alphabet.

• Not all languages are read from left to right; Arabic, Hebrew, some Eastern languages.

• Alphabet Evolution (:30)

CherokeeWriting Systems

Writing SystemsPhoenician

Writing SystemsHebrew

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BasqueFarsiLaotianNapaliNavajoTagalog

Basque

Farsi

Laotian

Napali

Navajo

Tagalog

What is Language?_____ 1. is a system of communication consisting of sounds, words

and grammar.

_____ 2. is a movement of the hands, arms or head to express an idea or feeling.

_____ 3. is a symbol or drawing that represents a specific object.

_____ 4. is a symbol for “non-picturable” things.

A. gesture B. pictograph C. language D. ideograph

A

B

C

D

1. Write the following words in your folder.

written words

sounds

pictographs

gestures

ideographs

2. Now, put the stages of language development in order by writing a 1 by the 1st stage a 2 by the 2nd stage, etc.

1

23

4

5

List the 5 stages of language. I’ve given you the first letter of each to help get you started. They are out of order again…can you put them in order?

S What are the 4 types ofgestures?

I

W

P

G

Gestures

Sounds

Pictographs

Ideographs

Written Words

Universal

Personal

Native

Infantile