Observations on What Is Language

Language—more specifically human language—refers to the grammar and other rules and norms that allow humans to make utterances and sounds in a way that others can understand, notes linguist  John McWhorter, an associate professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University. Or as Guy Deutscher said in his seminal work, The Unfolding of Language:  An Evolutionary Tour of Mankinds Greatest Invention, language is what makes us human. Discovering what is language, then, requires a brief look at its origins, its evolution through the centuries, and its central role in human existence and evolution. Greatest Invention If language is mankinds greatest invention, it is supremely ironic that it was actually never invented. Indeed, both Deutscher  and McWhorter, two of the worlds most renowned linguists, say the origin of language remains as much as mystery today as it was in biblical times. No one, says Deutscher, has come up with a better explanation than the tale of the  Tower of Babel,  one of the saddest and most significant stories in the Bible. In the biblical fable, God—seeing that people of the earth had become skilled in construction and had decided to build an  idolatrous tower, indeed an entire city, in ancient  Mesopotamia  that stretched to the heavens—infused the human race with a myriad of tongues so that they could no longer communicate, and could no longer build a massive edifice that would replace the almighty. If the tale is apocryphal, its meaning is not, as Deutscher notes: Language often seems so skilfully drafted that one can hardly imagine it as anything other than the perfected handiwork of a master craftsman. How else could this instrument make so much out of three dozen measly morsels of sound? In themselves, these configurations of the mouth—But, if you run these sounds through the cogs and wheels of the language machine, says Deutscher, arrange them in some special way and define how they are be ordered by rules of  grammar, you suddenly have language, something that an entire group of people can understand and use to communicate—and indeed to function and a viable society. Chomskyan Linguistics If languages mysterious origin sheds little light on its meaning, it can be helpful to turn to Western societys most renowned—and even controversial—linguist: Noam Chomsky. Chomsky is so famous that an entire subfield of linguistics (the study of language) has been named after him. Chomskyian linguistics is a  broad term for the principles of  language  and the methods of language study introduced and/or popularized by Chomsky  in such groundbreaking works as Syntactic Structures  (1957) and Aspects of the Theory of Syntax (1965). But, perhaps Chomskys most relevant work for a discussion on language is his 1976 paper, On the Nature of Language. In it, Chomsky directly addressed the meaning of language in a way that foreshadowed the later assertions of  Deutscher  and McWhorter. The nature of language is considered as a function of knowledge attained...[T]he language faculty may be regarded as a fixed function, characteristic of the species, one component of the human mind, a function which maps experience into grammar. In other words, language is all at once a tool and the mechanism that determines how we relate to the world, to each other, and, even to ourselves. Language, as noted, is what makes us human. Expressions of Humanity Famed American poet and existentialist, Walt Whitman, said that language is the sum total of all that humans experience as a species: Language is not an abstract construction of the learned, or of dictionary makers, but is something arising out of the work, needs, ties, joys, affections, tastes, of long generations of humanity, and has its bases broad and low, close to the ground. Language, then, is the sum of all human experience since the beginning of humankind. Without language, humans would be unable to express their feelings, thoughts, emotions, desires, and beliefs. Without language, there could be no society and possibly no religion. Even if Gods wrath at the building of the Tower of Babel led to a plethora of tongues throughout the world, the fact is that they are still tongues, languages that can be deciphered, studied, translated, written, and communicated. Computer Language As computers communicate with humans—and with each other—the meaning of language may soon change. Computers talk through the use of  programming language. Like human language, computer language is a system of grammar, syntax, and other rules that allow humans to communicate with their PCs, tablets, and smartphones, but also allows computers to communicate with other computers. As  artificial intelligence  continues to advance to a point where computers can communicate with each other without the intervention of humans, the very definition of language may need to evolve also. Language will still always be what makes us human, but it may also become the tool that allows machines to communicate, express needs and wants, issue directives, create, and produce through their own tongue. Language, would then, become something that was initially produced by humans but then evolves to a new system of communication—one that has little or no connection to human beings.

Stories Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart

Stories of Edgar Allan Poe The Tell-Tale Heart An unnamed narrator defensively declares that he is not insane, I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily -- how calmly I can tell you the whole story Poe, pg. 138. He insists that the story he tells is logical and not insane at all, although the very pattern of his language is a bit irrational, saying that he has heard heaven and hell, and the very pattern of his language is uncontrolled and rapid. The story then begins, describing how he had lived with an old man and eventually became obsessed with his eye, adding that he never wanted to steal the old man s gold; because of his strange eye, the narrator decided to kill the old man. Once again he becomes defensive towards the reader, You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded -- with what caution -- with what foresight -- with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him Poe, pg. 138. The narrator prides himself on his intelligence and the calculated nature of his crime, stating that a madman would not have acted as brilliantly as he had done, since madmen know nothing. Every day of that week before he committed the murder, the narrator quietly opened the door of the old man s room around midnight, taking an hour to gradually get his headShow MoreRelatedEdgar Allan Poe : The Tale Heart, The Fall Of The House Of Usher, And Annabel Lee Essay1372 Words   |  6 PagesEdgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe is well known for his poetry. Edgar Allan Poe was not only a world renowned poet, but he is also known as being a writer of short stories, as well as known for being a critic. 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Computer Hacking Thesis Essay Example For Students

Computer Hacking Thesis Essay Introduction: Hacking is very well-know way of crashing a computer system. Listed below is some information on the problems caused by hacking and some solutions of how to stop hacking. Thesis: Hacking has become such a problem in todays computer dependent society that stronger measures must be implemented to stop hackers, and if hackers are still successful, they should be severely punished. A.With the amount of businesses and corporations we depend on every day, we cant have hackers breaking in our systems because it causes so many problems with peoples jobs, and sometimes can cost us lots of money. B.So many people rely on computers to get around, communicate and keep track of the things they have to do, when a hacker breaks into a system, it can sometimes temporarily ruin someones life. A.Many people now use Anti-Virus software that can prevent people from using programs that have been tampered with that could cause damage to a system. B.Internet security has gotten better and better by the year. It is relatively hard for even the best of hackers to break into a computer due to the strict security and punishment. Although, if hacking is done, and a hacker is caught, the consequinces are sometimes not that wonderfulMost hackers caught breaking into anything more than a personal systemare prosecuted and face a large fine or a jail sentence. Conclusion: Hackers need to be stopped because of the severe problems they can cause. Hopefully, people will soon realize the consequinces of computer hacking and will stop. With all the problems it causes, something has to be done. Bibliography:

The Ten Most Influential First Ladies

A First lady being the wife of a president has roles to carry out in a nation. Depending on her interests she has the right to choose what she would like to be involved with in her husband’s leadership. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Ten Most Influential First Ladies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the United States there have been first ladies and their popularity depended on the roles they have played in the nation. Most of them have used their position to put an impact in the society. This paper will look at the top ten influential first ladies in the United States and their impact in the nation. Hillary Clinton is one of the influential first ladies. She was born in1947 and got married to Bill Clinton in 1975. She had interest in implementation of policies especially in health care section and she worked fully towards her interest. She fought for women and children welfare. She became a juni or senator after his husbands’ term. In 2008 she ran for the presidency but later stepped down and supported Barrack Obama. She is now the secretary of state. Michelle Robinson is a first lady and the wife of the current president of United States. She is known for her love to all people and has shown interest in assisting working and military families. Rosalynn Carter is another influential first lady who was born in 1927and got married to Jimmy Carter in 1946. She is known for participating in many cabinet meetings and always stood for mental health issues. Betty Ford was the wife of Gerald Ford. She emphasized on equal rights amendment and legalization of abortion. She openly spoke out her personal experiences on breast cancer and how she went through the treatment. She involved her self in creating awareness on breast cancer. Eleanor Roosevelt was the wife of Franklin Roosevelt. She was influential and inspiring. She emphasized on education to all. Another influential f irst lady was Jacqueline Kennedy who was born in 1929. She was the wife of John Kennedy. She was associated with fashion and dignity. Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Abigail Fillmore was the wife of Millard Fillmore. She was known for teaching her husband. She participated in formation of the white house library by selecting books to be stored in it after it was designed. There was no library before in the white house. Sarah Polk was the wife of James K. Polk. She wrote speeches and wrote correspondences for him. She also used entertained officials. Dolley Madison was a first lady and wife of James Madison. She valued the white house treasures and saved them during the war of 1812 to protect them when the white house was destroyed. Barbara Pierce was the wife of George H.W. Bush. She was loved by all for her support of events such as AIDS awareness, education and homelessness. This essay on The Ten Most Influential First Ladies was written and submitted by user CaptainAmerica/SteveRogers to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.