Noun

Singular language

Plural countable and uncountable; plural languages

language (countable and uncountable; plural languages)

  1. (countable) A form of communication using words either spoken or gestured with the hands and structured with grammar, often with a writing system.
    the English language
    sign language
    • 1900, William Beckford, The History of the Caliph Vathek, page 50:
      "No language could express his rage and despair."
  2. (uncountable) The ability to communicate using words.
    the gift of language
  3. (countable or uncountable) Nonverbal communication.
    body language
  4. (computing, countable) A computer language.
  5. (uncountable) The vocabulary and usage used in a particular specialist field.
    legal language
  6. (uncountable) The particular words used in speech or a passage of text.
    The language he used to talk to me was obscene.
    The language used in the law does not permit any other interpretation.
  7. (uncountable) Profanity.
    • 1978, James Carroll, Mortal Friends, ISBN 0440157897, page 500:
      "Where the hell is Horace?" ¶"There he is. He's coming. You shouldn't use language."

Synonyms

Derived terms

Terms derived from language

Related terms

From Wiktionary under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Wed Jul 8 20:57:58 2009

A language is a particular kind of system for encoding and decoding information. In its most common use, the term refers to so-called "natural languages" — the forms of communication considered peculiar to humankind. In linguistics the term is extended to refer to the human cognitive facility of creating and using language. Essential to both meanings is the systematic creation and usage of systems of symbols—each symbol referring to linguistic concepts with semantic or logical or otherwise expressive meanings.

The most obvious manifestations are spoken languages such as English or Spoken Chinese. However, there are also written languages and other systems of visual symbols such as sign languages.

Although some other animals make use of quite sophisticated communicative systems, and these are sometimes casually referred to as animal language, none of these are known to make use of all of the properties that linguists use to define language in the strict sense.

When discussed more technically as a general phenomenon then, "language" always implies a particular type of human thought which can be present even when communication is not the result, and this way of thinking is also sometimes treated as indistinguishable from language itself.

In Western philosophy for example, language has long been closely associated with reason, which is also a uniquely human way of using symbols. In Ancient Greek philosophical terminology, the same word, logos, was used as a term for both language or speech and reason, and the philosopher Thomas Hobbes used the English word "speech" so that it similarly could refer to reason, as discussed below.

From Wikipedia under the GNU Free Documentation License
Fri Dec 4 03:31:45 2009

Korea Language Skills Survey: Novices Welcome | Korean Top News ...
koreantopnews.com
Korea Language Skills Survey: Novices Welcome | Korean Top News ...

unknown

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:28:34 GM

One of my longtime Korean friends has a request. I hope you support this project. All that required is some Korean . language. training... novices welcome.I am Yongjoon Cho, PhD student at USC. The experiment is a part of mydissertation.​

 Language Expert Offers Free Online Language Lessons This Christmas ...
traveltips.awarenesspins.net
Language Expert Offers Free Online Language Lessons This Christmas ...

unknown

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:00:04 GM

Mark Frobose, bestselling author of Macmillan Audio's entire foreign . language. program line announces free . language. lessons and . language. help articles are.

Code: Flickr Developer Blog Language Detection: A Witch's Brew?
code.flickr.com
Code: Flickr Developer Blog Language Detection: A Witch's Brew?

sb

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:40:08 GM

It's true that the Accept-. Language. header has a troubled history. Because of this, many developers regard it the way medieval villagers might have regarded a woman with a warty nose and a pet cat it should be shunned, ...

From Google Blog Search: "Language"
Sat Dec 12 06:25:02 2009

See also:

  • CMU AI Repository - NLP areaCMU AI Repository - NLP area
    cs.cmu.edu
    Machine readable parts of NLP textbooks, NLP corpora and dictionaries, fonts, and software.
  • Clyr Inc.Clyr Inc.
    clyr.com
    Create custom natural language processing software.
  • Grammatical InferenceGrammatical Inference
    cs.iastate.edu
    Repository of information on grammatical inference, automata induction, and language acquisition.
Custom search only Language sites:

Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
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Wed Sep 23 19:53:19 2009
New DVDs due for release - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
news.google.com
New DVDs due for release

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

(PG; mild action, brief language ) Not reviewed. a christmas tale. An unsentimental adult drama about a dysfunctional family reunion that transcends the ...



and more »
Go! Movie Roundup: Dec. 4-10 - Times Herald-Record
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Go! Movie Roundup: Dec. 4-10

Times Herald-Record

PG for action violence, some suggestive humor and language . SHIL Amreeka Life is less than idyllic for a Palestinian single mother and her teen son when ...
Va. man charged with threatening official cleared - WTKR Your NewsChannel 3
news.google.com
Va. man charged with threatening official cleared

WTKR Your NewsChannel 3

Le's lawyer, Amy Austin of the federal public defender's office, said her client's drunkenness and poor grasp of the English language resulted in the ...



and more »

From Google News Search: "Language"
Fri Dec 4 07:11:51 2009

speaking your marketing language jpg
lawrencepierce.com
speaking your marketing language jpg
385px x 610px | 93.60kB

[source page]

Speaking Your Marketing Language Monday June 25 2007

indoeuropian language tree small jpg
albania.shqiperia.com
indoeuropian language tree small jpg
429px x 600px | 93.00kB

[source page]

The Albanian language is the oldest Indo European idiom according to webster s new twentieth century dictionary unabridged Second Edition De Luxe Color William Collins and World Publishing Co Inc 1975 ISBN 0 539 048523 3

language schools jpg
kudzu.com
language schools jpg
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[source page]

Language Schools

From Yahoo Image Search: "Language"
Mon Nov 30 23:05:45 2009

What language you should speak to your baby when you're mix marriage couple?
Q. I'm Asian and my husband is European. We both are not English native speakers but we use English to communicate to each other even though we speak the other's native language. I have an arguement with my husband which language we will speak to the baby. I'm now pregnant. I think we should speak in each of our native language. He thinks that we should speak English to the baby as it's a more important language and it's the language that binds the two of us. I argue that the baby can go to English education system later and will learn English. He thinks it would confuse the baby having to speak in too many languages. But I think as long as one is consistent with the language that one speak to the baby, the baby can understand. Besides… [cont.]
Asked by Olympia - Fri May 12 20:10:10 2006 - - 30 Answers - 1 Comments

A. Mother should speak her native language, father his, the baby will learn English listening to the two of you and by playing. Your child will pick up all three simultaneously and not even know he is learning it. If not, he won't be able to talk to his grandparents and will miss out on a lot.
Answered by fishingbabe8 - Fri May 12 20:19:24 2006

How can i fix my language bar settings?I installed japanese language and its the default one?
Q. Hi as the title suggests for the past 2 days the japansee language has been the main language for my pc when i write anything i have to press "alt+shift" to go back to english its getting annoying i had japanese language installed for a while but this problem is persisting for only these days any ideas how to make my main language english?Thanks in advance.
Asked by nael T - Mon Nov 30 19:45:09 2009 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Try replacing shell32.Dll this will surely work.(link provided) Don't forget to take backup of original shell32.Dll. You will find it in Windows\system32 folder. Replace the file with a system file replacer(if don't know google it) This one is English.Here is a link. Http://dll.Downloadatoz.C om/shell32.Dll-file-downl oad.html
Answered by Oliur - Tue Dec 1 15:00:38 2009

What is an active language that hasn't changed much over the course of its evolution?
Q. I know that most languages start with many changes based on region and other languages influencing; but once a language has been established, what language hasn't changed much? For instance, a branch of the Celtic languages like Welsh, or a branch of the Romance languages like the Catalan language. Have these changed much since they were established as a spoken language? Have any others? Any languages that you know of that haven't changed much?
Asked by >;-;< - Fri Nov 14 23:06:37 2008 - - 1 Answers - 1 Comments

A. French is a good one. They have that institution thingy that a lot of people call the language police. (can't remember the real name) It is there to basically maintain the purity of the French language.
Answered by pelirrojo_muy_loco - Mon Nov 17 15:12:40 2008

From Yahoo Answer Search: "Language"
Thu Dec 10 19:41:32 2009

Language is the term commonly used for any distinctive means of communication. There are several types of language, including , written language, and oral/aural language (spoken). The study of language is commonly called Linguistics.

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Sourced

  • Not only the entire ability to think rests on language... but language is also the crux of the misunderstanding of reason with itself.
  • There is no mode of action, no form of emotion, that we do not share with the lower animals. It is only by language that we rise above them, or above each other---by language, which is the parent, and not the ** ** Oscar Wilde, The Critic as Artist (1891), Part I.
  • Verbing weirds language.
    • Bill Watterson, Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat: A Calvin and Hobbes Collection (1994), p. 53.
  • Speech is the best show a man puts on.
    • Benjamin Lee Whorf, Language, thought and reality (1956), pg. 249.