Language

Language^[1] is the normal way humans communicate.^[2] Only humans use language, though other animals communicate through other means. The study of language is called linguistics.

Human language has syntax, a set of rules for connecting words together to make statements and questions. Language can also be changed, by adding new words, for example, to describe new things. Other animals may inherit a set of calls which have pre-set functions.

Language may be done by speech or by writing or by moving the hands to make signs. It follows that language is not just any way of communicating. Even some human communication is not language: see non-verbal communication. Humans also use language for thinking.

When people use the word language, they can also mean:

1. the language of a community or country
2. the ability of speech
3. formal language in mathematics, logic and computing
4. sign language for deaf people (people who cannot hear)
5. a type of school subject

UNESCO says that 2,500 languages are at risk of becoming extinct.^[3]

1. ↑ Cite error: The named reference :0 was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
2. ↑ Concise Oxford dictionary. p764
3. ↑ "BBC Languages". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved February 4, 2012.