Difference between revisions of "Language"

From Conservapedia
Jump to: navigation, search
(→‎See also)
(reverting amandabunting)
Line 1: Line 1:
−
A '''language''' is a complex systems of communication facillitated by a collection of symbols (called '''[[vocabulary]]''' or lexicon) and rules for connecting these symbols (called '''[[grammar]]''').
+
A '''language''' is a collection of symbols (called '''[[vocabulary]]''' or lexicon) and rules for connecting these symbols (called '''[[grammar]]''') that facilitates communication.
−
Language differs from call signs used by primates and other animals in that language can be used without prompting or a stimulus and is necessary for higher thinking. Call signs are regarded merely as forms of communication rather than abstract symbol use.
+
  
 
== Origin ==
 
== Origin ==
 +
The origin of language has been debated for long time among linguists, biologists, cognitive scientists, theologians, anthropologists, along with many other disciplines. Currently, the most wide held belief is that language has evolutionary origins (Pinker, 1997). However, this has not been proven definitively.
  
−
From the [[creation]] of [[Adam and Eve]] until 1056 years later in 2948 BC all [[humans]] spoke the same language that was put into their mouths by [[God]]. In 2948 BC humans built the [[Tower of Babel]] but God did not approve of this<ref>http://creationwiki.org/Tower_of_Babel</ref> so he decided to "confound their speech" and "scattered them upon the face of the Earth, and confused their languages"(Genesis 11:5-8). That was the begining of the languages we know today.
+
Language differs from call signs used by primates and other animals in that language can be used without prompting or a stimulus and is necessary for higher thinking. Call signs are regarded merely as forms of communication rather than abstract symbol use.
  
−
Nineteenth-century linguists recognized that languages had evolved slowly, one by one, from a single languages spoken in ancient Mesopotamia. Today, linguists categorize languages into distinct "families" of recent origin,<ref>http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004667.html#more Language Log.]</ref> corresponding to the languages which came about after the destruction of the Tower of Babel.
+
Although linguists have been able to allocate most languages to a small number of language "families", they have been unable to find a common origin of these language families. A few of the largest and oldest families include: [[Indo-European]], Afro-Asiatic and Nigar Congo families (Campbell, 98).
−
 
+
−
[[Atheism|Atheistic]] secular science rejects the Biblical truth and generally believes that language has [[evolution]]ary origins.<ref>John McWhorter. The Power of Babel.</ref><ref>Steven Pinker. The Language Instinct.</ref><ref>Ronald Wardaugh. Investigating Language: Central Problems in Linguistics.</ref><ref>Frederick J. Newmeyer. Linguistic Theory in America.</ref> The evolutionary worldview gaining prominence in the field of linguistics since the 1950s. If this hypothesis is correct, from the evolutionary perspective, then the original language (or languages) may have been spoken about 150,000 years ago, which of course is impossible since creation occurred about 6000 years ago.
+
−
 
+
−
Evolutionary linguists also allocate most languages to a small number of language "families", and some even propose a common origin in Proto-Nostratic although this remains disputed. A few of the largest and oldest language families include: [[Indo-European]], Afro-Asiatic and Nigar Congo families (Campbell, 98).
+
  
 
==Examples of Languages==
 
==Examples of Languages==
Line 43: Line 39:
 
* [[Urdu]]
 
* [[Urdu]]
 
* [[Yiddish]]
 
* [[Yiddish]]
−
 
−
== References ==
 
−
 
−
<references/>
 
−
 
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==

Revision as of 23:45, May 13, 2011

A language is a collection of symbols (called vocabulary or lexicon) and rules for connecting these symbols (called grammar) that facilitates communication.

Origin

The origin of language has been debated for long time among linguists, biologists, cognitive scientists, theologians, anthropologists, along with many other disciplines. Currently, the most wide held belief is that language has evolutionary origins (Pinker, 1997). However, this has not been proven definitively.

Language differs from call signs used by primates and other animals in that language can be used without prompting or a stimulus and is necessary for higher thinking. Call signs are regarded merely as forms of communication rather than abstract symbol use.

Although linguists have been able to allocate most languages to a small number of language "families", they have been unable to find a common origin of these language families. A few of the largest and oldest families include: Indo-European, Afro-Asiatic and Nigar Congo families (Campbell, 98).

Examples of Languages

See also

Retrieved from "https://conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Language&oldid=868744"