A. Language as human criterion
Man is a social being who always needs company in his live. Man can’t live alone. They need help each other to life. Man needs a means communication to life which is called language. It’s very impossible for man as a social being if they don’t have a language. With language man can express his ideas and whishes to other people such as when he needs help.
The only human beings have a language, whereas animals do not. Language is considered as criterion which is used to identify human being. Sometimes human being can imitate a sound of chicken to call them; for example, when they will give them food. However human being will produce a different sound. All of the animals can produce a sound as their means communication, such as chicken, cats, birds, elephant, etc. They will produce a sound to convey a message to other animals if they are in danger. Usually they also produce a sound to convey a message about their biological needs like eating.
Although there is a similarity between sounds which produce by human that both of their sounds are intended to convey a message, a means communication of animals is not called a language. The only a means communication of human being is called a language. Why it can be said because three is a big difference between animas sound and human beings sound.
THE DIFFERENCE OF ANIMALS SOUND AND HUMAN BEINGS SOUND
No Animals sound Human beings sound
1 Used to convey a message, but the message is limited to convey their biological needs like eating, or protecting them selves
Used to communicate or convey the message, but their sound produce is not only to convey about their biological needs. They can use their sound to talk about any other things which they may deem necessary. For ex. They can speak about an object or something which they think it’s important
2 The sound animals don’t have many varieties of sound
The sound human beings have many varieties of sound. They can pronounce such us vowels as / a, I, u, e, o /, or consonant b, p, d, t, m, n, v, f, z, s
3
The form of animals sound is not complex
The form of human beings is more complex
Accordingly, only human beings own and use language, which is then regarded as human creation, whereas animals or any other species do not.
B. Characteristics of human language
The defining characteristics of human language can be easily deduced from the following definition made by an American linguist, John B. Carool, in his book entitled ‘The Study of Language’ (1953)«).
Language is an arbitrary system of speech sound or sequences of speech sounds which is used or can be used in interpersonal communication by an aggregation of human beings, and which rather exhaustively catalogs things, processes, and events in the human environment.
Language has some characteristics that explain the only human beings who have language. The characteristics of language are systematic, arbitrary, spoken, symbols, social, and complete.
1. Language is a system
Language has a system. It can be explained that arrangement of words should be organized according to certain definite patterns. If it is not like that the utterance will be understood. An arrangement of words like ‘My father will come home tomorrow’ will certainly make sense, but a random accumulation like ‘father my come tomorrow will home’ will not.
2. Language is an arbitrary and unpredictables
Language is said to be ‘arbitrary’, which means that it is based on social agreement. There is no logical explanation or no reasoning, for example, why a certain domestic four-footed animal is called ‘dog’ in English, ‘asu’ in Javanese, or ‘ anjing’ in Indonesia. That is just what English, Javanese, and Indonesian people agree among themselves to name the animal in their own respective languages. Language is also said to be ‘unpredictable’. It means that nothing escort to name something.
3. Language is a set of spoken
Another characteristic of language is that it is always spoken. All people the world over, regardless of their race or ethnic group, always speak language. This means that they always have a way of communicating ideas by manipulating sound that are produce by their vocal organs.
4. Language is a set of symbols
Because language is a system of symbols, dualism is implied here, that is form and meaning. Form refers to the sound, while meaning refers to the thing or idea referred to by the sound or sounds. When language is used to talk about object found in the immediate environment of the speaker, so that they can be pointed to at any time, this is called the ‘sign’ use of language.
5. Language is a social
Language is said to be social, because it is only used in a social group which involves at least two persons, the speaker and the hearer. Language has to be learned and used in social community, without which existence of language is beyond understanding.
6. Language is a complete
Language is said to be complete, not like animal’s means of communication. It can be explained that all of the language can be represent everything.
People who life closer to the equator, like Indonesians, do not feel the need to make such distinctions, so that they have only one for snow. On the other hand, English people do not fin it necessary to distinguish various Javanese words like ‘pari’, ‘gabah’, ‘beras’, and ‘sega’; they just one word, ‘rice’ to refer to those four different things.
Man is a social being who always needs company in his live. Man can’t live alone. They need help each other to life. Man needs a means communication to life which is called language. It’s very impossible for man as a social being if they don’t have a language. With language man can express his ideas and whishes to other people such as when he needs help.
The only human beings have a language, whereas animals do not. Language is considered as criterion which is used to identify human being. Sometimes human being can imitate a sound of chicken to call them; for example, when they will give them food. However human being will produce a different sound. All of the animals can produce a sound as their means communication, such as chicken, cats, birds, elephant, etc. They will produce a sound to convey a message to other animals if they are in danger. Usually they also produce a sound to convey a message about their biological needs like eating.
Although there is a similarity between sounds which produce by human that both of their sounds are intended to convey a message, a means communication of animals is not called a language. The only a means communication of human being is called a language. Why it can be said because three is a big difference between animas sound and human beings sound.
THE DIFFERENCE OF ANIMALS SOUND AND HUMAN BEINGS SOUND
No Animals sound Human beings sound
1 Used to convey a message, but the message is limited to convey their biological needs like eating, or protecting them selves
Used to communicate or convey the message, but their sound produce is not only to convey about their biological needs. They can use their sound to talk about any other things which they may deem necessary. For ex. They can speak about an object or something which they think it’s important
2 The sound animals don’t have many varieties of sound
The sound human beings have many varieties of sound. They can pronounce such us vowels as / a, I, u, e, o /, or consonant b, p, d, t, m, n, v, f, z, s
3
The form of animals sound is not complex
The form of human beings is more complex
Accordingly, only human beings own and use language, which is then regarded as human creation, whereas animals or any other species do not.
B. Characteristics of human language
The defining characteristics of human language can be easily deduced from the following definition made by an American linguist, John B. Carool, in his book entitled ‘The Study of Language’ (1953)«).
Language is an arbitrary system of speech sound or sequences of speech sounds which is used or can be used in interpersonal communication by an aggregation of human beings, and which rather exhaustively catalogs things, processes, and events in the human environment.
Language has some characteristics that explain the only human beings who have language. The characteristics of language are systematic, arbitrary, spoken, symbols, social, and complete.
1. Language is a system
Language has a system. It can be explained that arrangement of words should be organized according to certain definite patterns. If it is not like that the utterance will be understood. An arrangement of words like ‘My father will come home tomorrow’ will certainly make sense, but a random accumulation like ‘father my come tomorrow will home’ will not.
2. Language is an arbitrary and unpredictables
Language is said to be ‘arbitrary’, which means that it is based on social agreement. There is no logical explanation or no reasoning, for example, why a certain domestic four-footed animal is called ‘dog’ in English, ‘asu’ in Javanese, or ‘ anjing’ in Indonesia. That is just what English, Javanese, and Indonesian people agree among themselves to name the animal in their own respective languages. Language is also said to be ‘unpredictable’. It means that nothing escort to name something.
3. Language is a set of spoken
Another characteristic of language is that it is always spoken. All people the world over, regardless of their race or ethnic group, always speak language. This means that they always have a way of communicating ideas by manipulating sound that are produce by their vocal organs.
4. Language is a set of symbols
Because language is a system of symbols, dualism is implied here, that is form and meaning. Form refers to the sound, while meaning refers to the thing or idea referred to by the sound or sounds. When language is used to talk about object found in the immediate environment of the speaker, so that they can be pointed to at any time, this is called the ‘sign’ use of language.
5. Language is a social
Language is said to be social, because it is only used in a social group which involves at least two persons, the speaker and the hearer. Language has to be learned and used in social community, without which existence of language is beyond understanding.
6. Language is a complete
Language is said to be complete, not like animal’s means of communication. It can be explained that all of the language can be represent everything.
People who life closer to the equator, like Indonesians, do not feel the need to make such distinctions, so that they have only one for snow. On the other hand, English people do not fin it necessary to distinguish various Javanese words like ‘pari’, ‘gabah’, ‘beras’, and ‘sega’; they just one word, ‘rice’ to refer to those four different things.
:.