Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication according to rules. It has several key characteristics: it is arbitrary, a social phenomenon, symbolic, vocal, not instinctive but conventional, productive, a system of communication, unique, complex and modifiable. The basic building blocks of language are phonemes, morphemes, and grammar. Phonemes are the smallest units of sound, morphemes are the smallest units of meaning, and grammar establishes rules for combining these elements into sentences.

1. LANGUAGE
HELLOKONNICHIWA
ANNYEONGHASEYO
SAWADEE KhA Nǐ hǎo BONJOUR HOLA
LANGUAGE:DEFINITION
CHARACTERISTIC &
BUILDING BLOCKS
By: Christine Joy A. Magbanua
Geraldine D. Decena

2. What is language?

4. is a system-
--- elements in it are
not arranged and
combined randomly,
but according to
some rules and
principles.

5. ----- there is no intrinsic connection
between the word and the thing.

6. is vocal------
--- the primary
medium for all
languages
is sound.

7. Language -is used for human
communication--------- it is human specific

8. Henry Sweet :
English philologist, phonetician and grammarian.
Born: 15 September 1845, London, United Kingdom
- “Language is the expression
of ideas by means of
speech-sounds combined
into words.
Words combined into
sentences, this combination
answering to
that of ideas into thoughts.”

9. George Leonard Trager :
American linguist. He was
the president of the Linguistic
Society of America in 1960.
He was born in Newark,
New Jersey.
Bernard Bloch:
American linguist.
The American linguists Bernard Bloch and
George L. Trager formulated the following
definition:
“A language is a system of arbitrary
vocal symbols by means of which a
social group cooperates.”
Any succinct definition of language
makes a number of presuppositions
and begs a number of questions.
The first, for example, puts excessive
weight on “thought,” and the second
uses “arbitrary” in a specialized,
though legitimate, way.

10. Avram Noam Chomsky:
American linguist, philosopher,
cognitive scientist, historian,
social critic, and political activist.
“There are several reasons why language has been and will
continue to be of particular significance for the study of human
nature.”
One is that language appears to be a true species property,
unique to the human species in its essential and common part
of our shared biological endowment.
Furthermore language enters in a crucial way into thought,
action, and social relations.
Finally, language is relatively accessible to study. In this respect
the topic is quite different from others that we would hope to
address: problem solving, artistic creativity, and other aspects
of human life and activity.”

11. Characteristics
of Language
Arbitrary
Social Phenomenon
Symbolic System
Vocal, Verbal
and Sound
Non-instinctive,
conventional
Productive
and Creative
System Of
Communication
Unique, Complex
and Modifiable

13. They are the most basic unit of speech;
An individual sound. All languages use phonem
English uses approximately forty.
They can have distinctive, features voiced or
unvoiced components.

14. Phonemes are so basic that they
do not have meaning until put
together.

15. Morpheme
A morpheme is the smallest meaningful
unit of language, formed from a
combination of phonemes.

16. Two types of morpheme
Content morphemes:
It holds the basic meaning of the
word.
Function morphemes:
These are prefixes and suffixes.
Function morpheme add little
additional meaning to the word

17. Grammar rules of the language that specify how
phonemes, morphemes, words and phrases should
be combined.

18. Grammar also governs how to use various
classes of words and their inflections.
Grammar is made up of syntax and semantics.
Syntax is the grammatical rules that specify
in what order the words and phrases
should be arranged in a sentence to
convey meaning.

19. References
Bloch, J. (2007). Abdullah's blogging: A generation 1.5 student enters the blogosphere.
Journal of Language Learning and Technology, 11, 128–141.
http://www. Journal of Language Learning and Technology.Google Scholar
Sweet. (1899) The Practical Study of Language
https://www.jstor.org/stable/43346066?seq=1
Noam Chomsky. (1950) Language Acquisition Theory
https://sites.google.com/site/ajarntoi/articles/language-according-to-noam-chomsky
Schumann, J. (1978). The pidginization process: A model for second language acquisition.
Rowley, MA: Newbury House.
http://www.ThePidginizationprocess.Google Scholar