What is language ? Discuss the growth and functions of the English language.
Answers
What is language ? Discuss the growth and functions of the English language.
What is language ?
Language is the method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way.
Discuss the growth and functions of the English language.
Growth:-
The growth of English vocabulary has taken place mainly in the following ways. They are
i) Imitation or Onomatopoeia.
ii) An Older word is given a new significance or its meaning is extended.
iii) A word which is normally one part of speech is used as another.
iv) Addition of Suffixes or Prefixes.
Function:-
The functions of language include communication, the expression of identity, play, imaginative expression, and emotional release. Many definitions of language have been proposed. Henry Sweet, an English phonetician and language scholar, stated: “Language is the expression of ideas by means of speech-sounds combined into words.