The Nature of Human Language and Its Characteristics from a Semiotic Perspective.

Sarath Withanarachchi Samaranayake1* and Suneeta Kosichaivat2

1
Department of International Language Teaching, Sanam Chandra Campus, Silpakorn
University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, 73000
2
Department of International Language Teaching, Sanam Chandra Campus, Silpakorn
University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, 73000

1
 Abstract

Human language is a remarkable and complex system of communication that distinguishes us from
other species on the planet. It serves as a tool for expressing our thoughts, sharing information, and
creating social bonds. The study of language and its nature has fascinated linguists, philosophers,
and researchers for centuries, leading to various theoretical frameworks and perspectives. One such
perspective is the semiotic view, which explores language as a semiotic system of signs and symbols.
The semiotic approach to understanding language emphasizes the relationship between signs,
meanings, and their interpretation. Developed by scholars such as Ferdinand de Saussure and
Charles Peirce, semiotics provides a framework to analyze human language's structure, function,
and characteristics. In this context, this paper aims to explore the nature of human language and its
key characteristics from a semiotic perspective using a real-life scenario where we explain how a
message is conveyed through signals and channels. Additionally, we examine the nature of human
language, referring to the definition Bloch and Trager gave in 1942. Finally, we conclude by
asserting that all human languages are equally important and necessary, with no one language being
superior in structure, history, or biology.

Keywords: Semiotics, vocal symbols, encode, versatile, arbitrary

2
Introduction
When asked about the definition of language, most people would say it is a form of
communication. But when asked to elaborate on this concept, they would explain that language
allows us to express our thoughts, feelings and exchange information. However, this explanation
only scratches the surface of the complex human language phenomenon. To truly understand
language, we must examine it from a broader perspective. Simply stating that language is a means
of communication is not enough, as we know that even animals communicate without language.
Humans also have other forms of communication besides language. Investigating how language
differs from other human and non-human communication systems is important.

The study of human language falls under the discipline of semiotics, which is concerned with the
science of signs and communication systems. Lyons (1981) explains various concepts in semiotics
relevant to this context.
A signal is transmitted from a sender to a receiver along a communication channel. This
signal will have a particular form and convey a particular meaning (or message). The code
establishes the connection between the signal and its meaning. Thus, the message is
encoded by the sender and decoded by the receiver.

A real-world example of how a communication system operates practically

The features discussed above are common to all communication systems, including
language. Some concepts involved in the communication system, when practicallyapplied to
human communication, can be illustrated from a real-world situation as follows: Suppose you are
thirsty and walk into a restaurant or a hotel, sit at a table, call a waiter, and say, “CocaCola, please.”
The waiter will probably respond to your request by saying “Right or OK,” and he/she will bring
you a Coke shortly. If we analyze what occurred in the situation described above regarding
semiotics, it becomes evident that your signal was the sound you produced /kou’, kӘ’ kou.lӘ/. This
signal was transmitted from your mouth to the waiter's ears along the oral-auditory channel. You
encoded your signal as /kou’, kӘ’ kou.lӘ/. However, you could have changed its form to Coco-
Cola Buddy, which would have conveyed a different meaning or message. When the waiter
replied, “Right or OK,” you knew he had decoded your message correctly. This is a very simple
example drawn from a real-world situation we encounter daily in our interactions with humans,
and the communication process can be illustrated in the diagram below.
3
 Response (Feedback)

Receiver Sender

Sender (Encodes) Receiver (Decodes)

A Message Medium the Message

Figure 1: The communication process involved in the ordering of a Coke

What has been discussed concerning semiotics has centered so far on some features
common to all communication systems in general, but our interest is in human language to which
We now turn. Recorded literature indicates that the attention of linguists, anthropologists,
sociolinguists, and psychologists has attracted different aspects of human language for generations
(Lightbown & Spada, 2006). When talking about human language, the first thing which strikes our
mind is that it is unique among all communication systems. This is to emphasizethat language is
very versatile. To understand this language characteristic, let us consider the traffic lights, which
can convey only a few messages, such as GO, READY, and STOP. Likewise, the number of
messages that animals can convey is limited. However, with human language, people can talk
about anything under the Sun. Given such an ability, what enables us to use the language
remarkably is worth discussing in some detail.

A language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols

Bloch and Trager (1942, p. 5) define language as “A language is a system of arbitrary vocal
symbols using which a social group co-operates" If we examine this definition, we find that each
keyword is a language characteristic. Thus, we can conclude that a language is a set of symbols.
For example, (returning to the restaurant scenario) the signal

4
 In the restaurant, Coca-Cola consists of at least four symbols:/ kou’, kӘ’ kou.lӘ/. The substance
of these symbols is the sound produced by the mouth. Hence, they are vocal symbols. A symbolis a
form that stands for some real thing, i.e., some meaning. Thus, there are different symbols for
different meanings.
The term 'vocal' may need further clarification because the language can be written and
spoken. When we produce symbols with the mouth, we use a phonic medium. But we can also
produce the same symbols by drawing bits of lines on paper with a pen or a pencil. This method
is called a graphic medium. This transferability of the medium appears to be a special feature of
language.
Then if language can be both spoken and written, the question next arises as to why
language is defined as vocal symbols. In a language discussion, linguists are generallyconcerned
with spoken language or what they call the 'primacy’ of language. The primacy of speech means
that speech is basic, and writing is only secondary. There are many reasons to justify this view.
Some of them are stated below.
• Structural priority: We write what we speak. This does not mean that spoken language and
written language are identical. It only means that writing is a device to transfer the phonic
medium to a graphic medium. Moreover, over 3000 spoken languages worldwide, but only a few
hundred have writing systems. Based on this premise, one cannot say that the unwritten
languages are not languages. On the other hand, there is no language, which is only written and
not spoken.
• Historical priority: Human beings have spoken languages for millions of years, but the history
of writing is not even five thousand years old.
• Every human speaks a language daily, but a clear majority does not read or write.
• Biological priority: spoken language is natural, whereas written is artificial. Written language
can be said as man-made in the sense that every human child acquires spoken language without
conscious learning.
There is no logical connection between the form and its meaning

A linguist can understand that language is spoken for specific reasons. With that in mind, we
highlight the importance of the term 'arbitrary' in Bloch and Trager's (1942) definition. In natural
languages, vocal symbols are arbitrary, meaning there is no logical connection between a symbol's
5
form and meaning. For instance, the word 'pen' has no inherent link to the object it represents. We
only use this word to refer to a writing utensil through a collective agreement among English speakers.
Occasionally, some words in a language may be onomatopoeic, like 'crow,' 'flutter,' and 'splash,'
which resemble their corresponding sounds. However, this is not a commonality among all words.
Arbitrariness extends beyond words to include sentence structures as well. For instance, there is no
logical reason why "He is a doctor" is a statement and "Is he a doctor?" is a question. It is merely an
agreement among English speakers to interpret them as such. The arbitrariness of language is what
makes it so versatile since we are not limited in our ability to assign forms to various meanings.
Without arbitrariness, creating words for abstract concepts like democracy and kindness would be
impossible. The beauty of arbitrariness is that anything can represent anything.

Duality of human language

Examining another characteristic that sets human language apart from other communication
systems is its efficiency due to duality. Language forms consist of units ranging from the smallest
unit, phonemes, to larger units, such as syllables, morphemes, and words. Phonemes and syllables
have no meaning, while morphemes and words are meaningful. This means that meaningful units are
composed of meaningless units. For example, the word "umbrellas" has nine phonemes, which make
up three syllables: Λm, brel, la;z. Neither phonemes nor syllables have meaning, but they can form
meaningful units when combined. In the case of "umbrellas," the two morphemes, umbrella+s, have
meanings as complete words. This duality is crucial to language as it allows us to form an unlimited
number of words with a few phonemes, whereas if each phoneme or syllable had a distinct meaning,
we would be limited in our vocabulary. So, the arbitrariness and duality of language are fundamental
features that make it an efficient communication system.
According to Bloch and Trager, the keyword "System" is an essential language element. A
language is a collection of symbols and a system of symbols. This was first introduced by Swiss
linguist Ferdinand de Saussure in 1959. To better understand this, imagine a game of chess. The
chessboard, pieces, and rules for moving them make up the game. Similarly, language games have
phonemes, morphemes, and words, along with rules for using them in speaking or writing. For
instance, in the English language system, the sentence "Peter ate a piece of bread" is correct, while
"ate a piece of bread Peter" or "A piece of bread ate Peter" are not. The system's rules are invisible
but can be discovered through the operation. The symbols and rules form the system, also known as
6
"structure." If people cannot understand or produce a language for various reasons, it becomes limited
in use, even if it has all the other characteristics of a language. However, human language is
productive, and we will explore this quality in the next section.
Productivity of human language
Humans possess an exceptional ability to produce and comprehend an infinite number of
utterances that have never been heard or spoken before, as stated by Chomsky in 1965. This is
mainly attributed to the productivity of human language, which permits the creation of novel
sentences, except for conventional expressions like "Good morning," "How are you?" and "I'm
fine. Thank you." Despite the limited number of phonemes, morphemes, and words in a language,
we can use them to generate uncountable sentences, which is exclusive to human communication.
On the other hand, animal signals have fixed messages like our "Good morning." Chomsky
emphasizes that the productivity of language results from its structure dependence and
recursiveness, where specific grammatical constructions can be extended limitlessly by applying
the same rules repeatedly. For instance, noun phrases can be coordinated indefinitely, such as Jack
and Jill and Annie and Frank went dancing (Robins, 1980).
According to Hockett's (1960) study on the origin of speech, four unique design features
distinguish human communication. One such feature is displacement, which allows us to
communicate across time and space. This means that we can discuss past and future events. Yule
(2010) supports this idea and notes that displacement also enables us to talk about people, places,
and things (such as angels, fairies, Santa Claus, Superman, heaven, and hell) that we know exist.
Additionally, Firth (cited in Widdowson, 1971, p.102) comments on another characteristic of
human language.
The moment a conversation is started, whatever is said is a determining condition
for what in any reasonable expectation may follow. There is a positive force in what
you say, and there is a negative side, too, because what you say shouts out most of
the language of your companion, leaving him only a limited range of possible
responses.
After carefully analyzing Firth's claims, it is evident that our ability to express ourselves is
limited by the social rules, norms, and ethics that have already been established in our respective
societies. While human language also incorporates other aspects, such as language functions, use,

7
and rules, this article does not delve into those topics.
Semiotics also recognizes the role of context in shaping the meaning of language. Its internal
structure does not solely define language but is profoundly influenced by the social and cultural
contexts in which it is used. Pragmatics, the study of language in context, explores how meaning is
constructed through the interaction of language users, their intentions, and the situational context.

Conclusion

In wrapping up this article that delves into the intricacies of human language, it is worth
restating Brown's (2000) definition of language: a systematic collection of symbols, primarily vocal
but also visual, that have conventionalized meanings and are used for communication within a
speech community or culture. While it is a human construct, other beings could acquire it too.
Context plays a crucial role in shaping linguistic meaning, and the property of displacement enables
humans to communicate beyond the immediate spatial and temporal context. By studying language
from a semiotic perspective, we can gain deeper insights into its structure, function, and significance
as a central aspect of human communication and cognition. The more we examine language, the
more we appreciate its wonder and excitement - and this holds for all languages, which are equally
complex and productive for humans regardless of their origin. There is no such thing as a primitive
or underdeveloped language.

References

Bloch, B., & Trager, G. L. (1942). Outline of Linguistic Analysis. Linguistic Society of
America. Waverly Press, Inc.
Brown, H.D. (2000). Principles of language learning and teaching, Fourth Edition, NY
Longman.
Chomsky, N. (1965). Aspects of the theory of syntax. MIT Press.
Hockett, C. F. (1960). The Origin of Speech. Scientific American, 203, 88–111.
Lightbown, P. M., & Spada, N. (2006). How Languages are Learned, (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Lyons, J. (1981). Language and Linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

8
Ferdinand de Saussure. (1959). Course in General Linguistics. The Philosophical Library, New
York City.
Robins, R.H. (1980). General Linguistics. Indiana University Press. The USA.
Yule, G. (2010). The Study of Language, (4th ed). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Widdowson, H. G. (1971). English Studies Series 8. Language Teaching Texts. Oxford
University Press.