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English
Why is language so important? What role does English play in a modern world?
Language is a vital part of human connection. Although all species have their ways of communicating, humans are the only ones that have mastered cognitive language communication. Language allows us to share our ideas, thoughts, and feelings with others. It has the power to build societies, but also tear them down.
Language Matters
Language is what makes us human. It is how people communicate. Learning a language means you have mastered a complex system of words, structure, and grammar to communicate effectively with others.
To most people, language comes naturally. We learn how to communicate even before we can talk and as we grow older, we find ways to manipulate language to truly convey what we want to say with words and complex sentences. Of course, not all communication is through language, but mastering a language certainly helps speed up the process.
Language Is Important To Culture And Society
Language helps us express our feelings and thoughts — this is unique to our species because it is a way to express unique ideas and customs within different cultures and societies.
By learning a language, you can understand ideas and thoughts that may be different from your own culture. You can learn customs and how people interact in a given society. Language helps preserve cultures, but it also allows us to learn about others and spread ideas quickly.
Language Is Important To Business
The importance of language in business is unmatched. Without language here, we can’t share ideas and grow them into something more. Whether this means learning a language so you can share ideas with people who come from a different country, or simply learning how to use language to master an interview or a presentation, demand presence in a room, or network with others, language is vital.
Language Is Important For Personal Communication
Though much of human communication is non-verbal (we can demonstrate our thoughts, feelings and ideas by our gestures, expressions, tones, and emotions) language is important for personal communication. Whether it’s being able to talk to your friends and family, your colleagues, or your business contacts, having a shared language is necessary for these types of interactions.
Basic Functions Of Language
The main function of language is the ability to communicate thoughts, ideas, and feelings with others as quickly as possible. However, within that, we can understand language more by looking at its basic functions.
1. Informative Function
The informative function of language is when we use language to communicate any information. Essentially, its function is to inform others by being able to state facts clearly.
2. Expressive Function
Another basic function of language is the expressive function. It is how we use the language to express ourselves by giving us ways to convey our feelings, emotions, and attitudes to another person (or ourselves).
3. Directive Function
The directive function of language is a basic function that helps us to direct or command. For example, it gives us the ability to tell ourselves or someone else what to do in any given situation.
Language Styles
In language, there are many different styles to fit what the speaker wants to communicate. While some are unique to a person’s personality, language styles are frequently adapted depending on the situation, irrespective of normal speech patterns.
1. Direct And Indirect Styles
Direct is a way to use language to indicate to a person exactly what you want to say and/or how you’re feeling.
Indirect language means using other words or types of communication to demonstrate you may be feeling a certain way, but without directly saying why or what, in other words, being indirect. If you’ve ever been in an argument with a close family member, you will probably have experienced both of these language styles.
2. Personal And Contextual Styles
These two language styles are a bit more complex. In general, personal style refers to an individual’s personal way of speaking, it is informal, and focuses on that individual.
Contextual styles means changing language depending on the context of a situation. For instance, a manager may use their personal style of speaking with friends and colleagues, and a contextual style when meeting clients.
3. Untranslatable Words
Untranslatable words are words or phrases that we have to adapt from other languages because we do not have a word that means the same thing in our own language. A good example is the Swedish word “lagom”, because we don’t have a good translation.
Six Elements Of Language
There are six elements of language:
1. Clarity
Using language in a way that ensures the intended audience fully understands your ideas; that your ideas are clear.
2. Economy
Being ‘economic’ about how you speak by avoiding any unnecessary language. This means using only the necessary and appropriate words to express yourself while avoiding using language your audience won’t understand. Essentially, this means avoiding fluff or complicated vocabulary.
3. Obscenity
This refers to ‘indecent language’, including, but not limited to, curse words and hateful remarks.
4. Obscure Language/Jargon
This is very specific language that your audience will not understand because they are not familiar with what you are talking about. For example, when a mechanic explains what’s wrong with your car, but you are not a car mechanic, so you are unclear of what they’re talking about.
5. Power
This is when someone uses language to exert power over someone to persuade or manipulate them, command them, or to get them to do something they want. It could also be to demonstrate yourself as an authority in the room.
6. Variety
This is a speaker’s ability to use a combination of all the different types of language to get ideas across successfully and creatively.
Different Types Of Language
In addition to language functions, there are also different types of language and ways to understand language overall. Being able to differentiate these can help you understand other reasons why language is so important.
Spoken Vs. Written Language
In general, spoken communication is used for conversing with others. Written language is about expressing ideas through writing words down.
Oral communication is usually more informal and faster (spontaneous and unedited), while written language is more formal and slow (considered and edited).
The four basic language skills of writing, reading, speaking and listening are used interactively to get your message across and understand other people.
Denotative Meaning Vs. Connotative Meaning
Words have a lot of meaning to them, and the meaning depends on the context surrounding the word. This is why there is denotative meaning and connotative meaning.
Denotative meaning is the literal definition/intention of the word, whereas connotative meaning is when words carry positive or negative meanings/connotations. An example of this could be “home” versus “house.” “House” is denotative, being the literal term for this type of structure where someone may live, whereas “home” is connotative and represents a shelter, family, security, etc. Understanding the difference can help you understand the intention of language.
Using Language Effectively
Language has so many benefits to humans, but it can also be problematic if it is used ineffectively. This is why it’s important to be mindful of how you are using language in any situation.
1. Use Appropriate Language
Using appropriate language does not just mean avoiding obscene language (there may be times when that is actually appropriate for the situation!). It means using language that’s appropriate for your audience, that they can understand, relate to, and engage with.
2. Use Vivid Language
To use vivid language is to use imagery in your language, to describe something as vividly as possible. It may mean using more adjectives, idioms or expressions to illustrate what you’re saying.
3. Use Inclusive Language
Inclusive language means using language that does not exclude any person. For instance, instead of using “he or she” to address an audience, the correct term is “they” to include people who may not identify with a particular gender. It also means avoiding any language that is racist, sexist, misogynist, hateful, presumptuous, prejudiced, etc.
The Modern Lingua Franca
In the past, language (whether English, Spanish, French, Latin or any one of a vast number of languages) was imposed by colonising powers on their new conquests. Linguistic imperialism was a badge of honour for victorious powers and a tool for imposing culture and deference.
Times have changed. In the (hopefully) more enlightened present the decision to learn a new language is a personal choice based on any number of factors - communicating with friends across the world, professional benefits, access to a wealth of music and culture etc.
English is the language of choice for upwards of half a billion people across the world - it has become a true modern Lingua Franca (and even borrows a Latin term in its definition!). As with any language, it is developing and adapting. It is reflecting the cultures, situations and people that use it.
There is no longer any such thing as “proper English” (if indeed there ever was) - there is only English that is used for effective communication. We may decide that we want to use “British English”, “American English”, “Australian English” or even “mid-Atlantic English” because that is the most efficient and expected way to communicate with our specific group of English users. The fact remains however, that no one variety of English is superior to another - it is purely the use to which the language is put and the depth and success of the communication that is important.
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