Introducing Linguistics
Emergentism is actually a concept that extends way beyond linguistics. Very generally speaking, it’s the idea that simple interactions can give rise to complex systems. And those complex systems are much more than just a sum of their parts. Which I know sounds really abstract, but this kind of thing, emergent phenomena, are actually really common a... See more
Samia Bouzid • Elizabeth Bates and the Search for the Roots of Human Language
But not all languages are equal. Languages are theories. In their vocabulary and grammar, they embody substantial assertions about the world.
David Deutsch • The Fabric of Reality
For such reasons did Wittgenstein argue that the limits of our language define the boundaries of our world.1
Tim Lomas • The Happiness Dictionary: Words from Around the World to Help Us Lead a Richer Life
What is unique to humans is that we use language to bind our own future behaviour so that we can form with other human beings bonds of mutuality and trust.
Jonathan Sacks • Studies in Spirituality (Covenant & Conversation Book 9)
Speech is actually the primary way that language gets transmitted,