The German polymath Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767–1835), brother of the famous explorer Alexander von Humboldt, likewise tried to develop a universalist and philosophical approach to the study of languages. The central fact of language is that speakers can make infinite use of the finite resources provided by their language. Though the capacity for

passing on information persuading people to do things convincing people to believe things entertaining others amusing ourselves maintaining and displaying our place in society expressing our individuality expressing our emotion maintaining good (or bad) relations with other

An individual language is anything that is, or once was, the mother tongue of a group of human beings.