Language provides one of the answers to the age old question on how humans, being a paltry 2.2 on the food chain came to dominate all apex predators. The key to the aforesaid domination has been defined by experts as the capability to harness technology and the ability to coordinate (Doucleff, 2013) . It is language that enables the wheel , which was invented in Mesopotamia 3000 years ago to play a part on a computerized system today. It is also language that enables one commander in chief to control an army of millions. Indeed, without language, it is possible that man would have remained at the 2.2 position in the food chain and spend time balancing scavenging for food and hiding from predators. Language is defined as the method through which humans communicate either through sound, writing, and signaling among others. Lexicon on the other part relates to the level of vocabulary within a specific form of language (Tomasello, 2014). It is lexicon that makes the language as used by humans to be exponentially useful in the process of cognition thus enabling humans to empirically develop knowledge.
There are between 5000 and 7000 languages in the world, with the distinction being made by the definition of language vis-à-vis the definition of dialect. These languages have developed over time either independently or stemming from the derivation of different dialects from the same language. Linguistics is the term used by scientists to define the study of language. Another parallel area of study with relation to language is philosophy, with some schools of thought considering philosophy to be simply a study of language (Tomasello, 2014). Among the common areas of study and controversy in both science and philosophy is what constitutes a language, how language originated and the form of language. From the conclusions drawn at the contemporary time, language involves the ability to acquire then use communication systems, whether simple or advanced, between humans. It mainly entails the combination of words and gestures that can be applicable in passing a message in a comprehensible manner. Therefore, a language must be comprehensible to more than one human being as a basic qualification.
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Normally, languages that use words are divided into two major components to wit lexicon and grammar. Lexicon refers to the nature of the words while grammar refers to the arrangement of words within the specific language (Tomasello, 2014). For example, the English language has thousands of words which form its vocabulary. This vocabulary forms the lexicon of English and is an important factor of the English language. However, a motley collection of these words cannot communicate. If the words in this essay were to be jumbled using a computer algorithm, the message within it would be lost albeit all the words are still in the document. Grammar, therefore, provides the way words are to be arranged so as to provide a meaning. However, without a proper lexicon, grammar is almost useless. For example, if a primitive language was to exist whose lexicon has only ten words, no matter how much grammar is employed towards that language, only extremely mundane ideas can be communicated and with great strain (Ahmed et al, 2014). This makes lexicon an integral part of the language . To understand a language and be able to use it, an individual needs to understand its lexicon and also how to arrange said lexicon so as to communicate.
Among the most important features of language is that it communicates sense but does not in itself make sense. It is not always possible to understand why words mean what they mean and not something else. The lexicon of language as well as the grammar thereof is developed arbitrarily. Boy means a male child but no one can really tell why. Boy, therefore, becomes more than just a word but rather a symbol which represents a male human being and which when mentioned creates that impression to the listener. However, these symbols are not shambolic, but rather systematic (Tomasello, 2014). They have to be placed in a certain manner to as to present one meaning or the other. A single seemingly meaningless word such as ‘not’ can change the entire dimension of a statement.
Secondly, language is social and creates a social institution by itself. To be able to communicate, people must agree on the meanings of lexicon and how they should be arranged into forming different meanings. This makes language an instrument of bringing people together and also of forming culture. Further, the origin of sounds is vocals, a fact that makes vocals dominant in language. In many instances, written language, which is merely a reduction of verbal language can be confusing unless read out using vocals. Finally, language is conventional yet creative. For language to be effectively used, there has to be an established set of rules and regulation. However, the continued use of language keeps of changing this rules and regulations thus making language creative.
The basic building block of language is the phoneme or the sound, made up of a letter or a set of letters be they vowels or consonants (Ahmed et al, 2014). Some phonemes are simple and made up of a single word such as ‘a’ while others are complex such as ‘rhythm’. In language development, phonemes are combined in different ways to make words. Each word has one or more phonemes. Some words such as nouns have an attributable meaning to themselves while others such as articles do not have actual meaning but are used to combine with other words to create a message. A singular simple message, made through the combination of words, is called a sentence. In verbal usage, the end of a sentence is marked through a lengthy pause while in written word, is marked through a period. Complex messages will, however, require more than one sentence (Ahmed et al, 2014). They are therefore created through the combination of several sentences into a text. Therefore, the four levels of language structure and processing are phoneme, words, sentence, and text.
Cognitive psychology is the processes of the mind from their cause, how they develop, how the mind works as well as the handicaps and limitations, thereof. Psychologists have increasingly confirmed the hypothesis that language is an important aspect of cognitive psychology. From the start, language is considered as an important tool for the cognitive development of children. In this regard, research has been ongoing on whether language can be used to determine if a child is developing in the right manner cognitively. The ways, means, and ability to using language has also be known to reflect the nature and scope of an individual from a cognitive psychology perspective. Language, therefore, provides a tangible window into the mind that psychologists can use to assess it (Tomasello, 2014).
The best way to understand just how important language is to man is to imagine humans without it. The world would quickly return to the Stone Age with humans not having the ability to rise above the 2.2 position on the food chain thus becoming a victim of most animals. Fortunately, humans were able to develop a simple lexicon made up of phoneme , then join it together to create phrases, then sentences and finally full texts that can communicate actual messages. This eventually developed into thousands of languages mainly through verbal communication and eventually developed into writing and other forms of communication. Language enables man to assess the mental ability and capacity of fellow man from development at a young age to health in grownups. It is therefore in the process of being harnessed into a fundamental tool in cognitive psychology.
References
Ahmed, Y., Wagner, R. K., & Lopez, D. (2014). Developmental relations between reading and writing at the word, sentence, and text levels: A latent change score analysis. Journal of educational psychology , 106 (2), 419 –434
Doucleff, M. (2013, December 08). Between Pigs And Anchovies: Where Humans Rank On The Food Chain . Retrieved May 05, 2017, from http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/12/08/249227181/between-pigs-and-anchovies-where-humans-rank-on-the-food-chain
Tomasello, M. (2014). The new psychology of language: Cognitive and functional approaches to language structure (Vol. 1). United Kingdom: Psychology Press
