language
Words and grammar
Language is the complex system of symbolic communication that is unique to humans, or this system as used by a single country or population, as in the Burmese language.
An even narrower definition is the wording or expressions associated with something, such as the language of the contract.
If you are told to watch your language, it is a warning against using profanity.
Your native language is the one that you learned first as a child, typically the language spoken by your parents.
Units of language
- lexiconVocabulary of a language
- terminologySubject-specific vocabulary
- glossaryAlphabetical list with definitions
- dictionaryAlphabetical word reference
thesaurus · jargon · idiom · neologism · colloquialism · nomenclature · phrase · expression
Regional language variety
- creoleNativized pidgin tongue
- pidginImprovised contact language
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
- mother-tongueLanguage acquired from birth
heritage · indigenous · endangered · revitalization · colonialism · globalization · identity · nationalism
Rules for arranging words
- semanticsStudy of linguistic meaning
- phonologyScience of language sounds
- morphologyStudy of structural forms
- pragmaticsLanguage-in-context study
grammar · phonetics · etymology · lexicography · dialectology · psycholinguistics · neurolinguistics · sociolinguistics
Symbolic communication system
- syntaxRules for arranging words
- compilerSource-to-machine-code translator
- interpreterOne who conveys meaning between languages
- scriptWritten words for performance
function · algorithm · Python · Java · JavaScript · SQL · HTML · markup
Oral communication ability
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
- conversationExchange of spoken ideas
- discourseFormal communication on subjects
- expressionConveyed thought or feeling
articulation · fluency · utterance · message · verbal · nonverbal · gesture · signing
Persuasive verbal grace
- persuasionConvincing through reasoning
- oratoryFormal eloquent discourse
- proseUnversified language
- metaphorImplied identity comparison
simile · figurative · literary · poetic · narrative · style · tone · voice
Mental concept or reflection
- mindSeat of consciousness
- brainSeat of cognition
- comprehensionMental understanding of meaning
- understandingMental comprehension of something
reasoning · conceptualization · meaning · interpretation · learning · acquisition · memory · recognition
words
Units of language
- lexiconVocabulary of a language
- terminologySubject-specific vocabulary
- glossaryAlphabetical list with definitions
dictionary · thesaurus · jargon · idiom · neologism · colloquialism · nomenclature · phrase · expression · diction
dialect
Regional language variety
- creoleNativized pidgin tongue
- pidginImprovised contact language
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
mother-tongue · heritage · indigenous · endangered · revitalization · colonialism · globalization · identity · nationalism · anthropology
syntax
Rules for arranging words
- semanticsStudy of linguistic meaning
- phonologyScience of language sounds
- morphologyStudy of structural forms
pragmatics · grammar · phonetics · etymology · lexicography · dialectology · psycholinguistics · neurolinguistics · sociolinguistics · typology
code
Symbolic communication system
- syntaxRules for arranging words
- compilerSource-to-machine-code translator
- interpreterOne who conveys meaning between languages
script · function · algorithm · Python · Java · JavaScript · SQL · HTML · markup · query
speech
Oral communication ability
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
- conversationExchange of spoken ideas
- discourseFormal communication on subjects
expression · articulation · fluency · utterance · message · verbal · nonverbal · gesture · signing · tone
eloquence
Persuasive verbal grace
- persuasionConvincing through reasoning
- oratoryFormal eloquent discourse
- proseUnversified language
metaphor · simile · figurative · literary · poetic · narrative · style · tone · voice · clarity
thought
Mental concept or reflection
- mindSeat of consciousness
- brainSeat of cognition
- comprehensionMental understanding of meaning
understanding · reasoning · conceptualization · meaning · interpretation · learning · acquisition · memory · recognition · processing
- culturemusic taste, beliefs, food preferences, custom, festivals
- humanperson, individual, man, woman, adult
- languageword, words, grammar, spelling, alphabet
- proper nounscity, country, places, continent, countries
- topicsnature, health, sports, science, politics
- Wikipedia topicsbiography, country, city, animal, plant
languagenoise
Unwanted auditory disturbance
gibberish · babble · inarticulateness · word salad · nonsense
languageunintelligibility
Cannot be understood
incomprehensibility · gibberish · nonsense · jargon · gobbledygook
languagesilence
Total lack of sound
muteness · speechlessness · dumbness · quiet · voicelessness
- body languageUnspoken physical expression
- bad languageObscene or offensive words
- foreign languageAnother nation's speech
- sign languageVisual-gestural communication system
- second languageTongue learned after childhood
- living languageLanguage still naturally spoken
languages, language isolate, language arts, sign language, slanguage, language family, language barrier, language families, multilanguage