This document presents the key characteristics and building blocks of language as a system of communication. It discusses how language is arbitrary, social, symbolic, systematic, vocal, non-instinctive and conventional. Language is also described as being productive and creative. The basic building blocks of language are identified as phonemes, the smallest distinguishable sound units; morphemes, the smallest meaningful units; and syntax, the rules that govern word order and sentence structure.

1. THE CRITERIA OF THE
SYSTEM OF
COMMUNICATION
P R E S E N T E D B Y:
L E R M A S . B I S A G A R
D O R A LY N V. G A L L E G O

2. LANGUAGE
Is a system of communication a
medium of thought and a social
interaction.

3. CHARACTERISTICS OF LANGUAGE
Language is Arbitrary
Language is arbitrary in the sense that there is no inherent relation
between the words of a language and their meanings or the ideas
conveyed by them.

4. LANGUAGE IS SOCIAL
Language is a set of conventional communicative signals used by
humans for communication in a community. Language in this sense is a
possession of a social group, comprising an indispensable set of rules
which permits its members to relate to each other, to interact with each
other, to co-operate with each other; it Is a social institution.

5. LANGUAGE IS SYMBOLIC
Language consists of various sound symbols and their graphological
counterparts that are employed to denote some objects, occurrences or
meaning. These symbols are arbitrarily chosen and conventionally
accepted and employed. Words in a language are not mere signs or
figures, but symbols of meaning. The intelligibility of a language depends
on a correct interpretation of these symbols.

6. LANGUAGE IS SYSTEMATIC
Although language is symbolic, yet its symbols are arranged in a
particular system. All languages have their system of arrangements.
Every language is a system of systems. All languages have phonological
and grammatical systems, and within a system there are several sub-
systems.

7. LANGUAGE IS VOCAL
Language is primarily made up of vocal sounds only produced by a
physiological articulatory mechanism in the human body. In the beginning,
it appeared as vocal sounds only. Writing came much later, as an
intelligent attempt to represent vocal sounds. Writing is only the graphic
representation of the sounds of the language. So the linguists say that
speech is primary.

8. LANGUAGE IS NON-INSTINCTIVE,
CONVENTIONAL
Language is the outcome of evolution and convention. Each generation
transmits this convention on to the next. Like all human institutions
languages also change and die, grow and expand. Every language then
is a convention in a community. It is non-instinctive because it is acquired
by human beings. No body gets a language in heritage; he acquires it
because he an innate ability.

9. LANGUAGE IS PRODUCTIVE AND
CREATIVE
Language has creativity and productivity. The structural elements of
human language can be combined to produce new utterances, which
neither the speaker nor his hearers may ever have made or heard before
any, listener, yet which both sides understand without difficulty. Language
changes according to the needs of society.

10. THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF
LANGUAGE
Phonemes
Phonemes are the smallest distinguishable units in a language. In the
English language, many consonants, such as t, p, and m, correspond to
single phonemes, while other consonants, such as c and g, can
correspond to more than one phoneme. Vowels typically correspond to
more than one phoneme.
Example: /k/, which occurs in words such as cat, kit, scat, skit.

11. MORPHEMES
Morphemes are the smallest meaningful units in a language. In the
English language, only a few single letters, such as I and a, are
morphemes. Morphemes are usually whole words or meaningful parts of
words, such as prefixes, suffixes, and word stems.
Example: The word “disliked” has three morphemes: “dis,” “lik,” and “ed.”

12. SYNTAX
Syntax is a system of rules that governs how words can be meaningfully
arranged to form phrases and sentences.
Example: One rule of syntax is that an article such as “the” must come
before a noun, not after: “Read the book,” not “Read book the.”

13. Neoenglish (2010) Characteristics and features of language
https://neoenglish.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/characteristics-and-features-of-
language/
Sparknotes (2020) Language and Cognition
https://www.sparknotes.com/psychology/psych101/languageandcognition/section1/

14. Thank you