Study Guide: What Is Language?

Core idea

Linguistics is the scientific study of language. A key distinction in this chapter is between asking what a language is and asking what we know about language. The second question leads to the study of the mental system speakers use to produce and understand language.

Key points about language

• Humans have largely unconscious knowledge of a linguistic rule system.
• Languages are independent of writing systems; speech and sign are language even without writing.
• Language is not the same as body language or general nonverbal behavior, because human language has a richer structured system.
• Signed languages such as ASL are full human languages, not lesser forms of spoken language.

Language acquisition

The chapter explains that children acquire language in a fairly uniform way when exposed to it early in life. This regularity suggests that humans are cognitively equipped for language learning. The discussion introduces Universal Grammar as a proposed set of core grammatical principles that helps explain how children acquire language so successfully.

How linguists study language

Linguists investigate the grammatical system underlying language and study it across multiple subfields. The chapter notes that linguistics includes many approaches and theoretical frameworks, all aimed at understanding how language works and how people use it.

Why linguistics matters

Linguistics connects to public issues and practical careers. It helps inform debates about language rights, bilingual education, endangered language revitalization, and public misunderstandings about language. It also supports careers in teaching, translation and interpreting, lexicography, fieldwork, publishing, technical writing, and language-related work in industry.

What to remember

• Language is a structured human capacity studied scientifically in linguistics.
• Knowledge of language is mostly implicit rather than consciously taught.
• Signed and spoken languages are both genuine languages.
• Children’s early success with language learning motivates theories such as Universal Grammar.
• Linguistics is broad, with many subfields, methods, and real-world applications.

Study source: [What Is Language? — Chapter 1](material:63)