© Copyright Our Wall
Language is the effective application of these sounds and symbols in an effort to communicate them accurately to another person or animal so that a predictable response can be elicited. Every society has its language, but the principles and objectives are the same: Get the message clear. How simple communication would be if all cultures had one language based on a logical system of sounds and symbols. Imagine three billion people all understanding one another as I imagine dogs, whales, mice, fleas, ants, worms, and cockroaches do all over the world. BEEPA MEANING
Transport an American-bred cockroach to Germany in a picnic basket aboard a DC 767 and allow it (him or her?) to mingle with its foreign cousins. What would be the result? Would there be a language barrier? Does a Russian Wolfhound (Borzoi) communicate any differently with his litter mates in Minsk than he would with his litter mates in Hoboken? Do earthworms in Singapore react any differently than those dug up in Boise, Idaho?
One problem with English is that it has borrowed words from so many other languages that it is most difficult to master it as a second language. There is no purity in the vocabulary base. There is no predictability upon which to base logical rules that would universally apply to similar roots within the language resulting in a more easily recognizable pattern. The English word for DOG originates with Middle English dogge while the word HOUND is remotely related to the German hund. The Spanish word for dog, perro, in no way resembles the English word but refers to the same animal. Etymology is another story. It would take an epic work to treat this aspect of language.
The construction of words is a twofold process. First, a sound is made. Then, some group of symbols from an established database is selected to represent that sound in written form in case the recipient of the intended message is not present to receive it when it is ready to be sent. The database for English consists of the consonants, vowels, diphthongs and some triphthongs. Each language has its own database of symbols and dictionary of current vocabulary as well as rules of grammar and usage. Gestures and nonverbal communication are also unique to differing cultures though some have acquired a universal flavor. Most nationalities recognize the significance of shooting the bird, a closed fist with the middle finger erect with an upward thrust added for emphasis. For those cultures that do not associate the generally accepted meaning with that gesture, interesting reactions result ranging from indifference to dismay. MEANING OF BEEPA