What Language Communicates - Sam Habashy

There’s roughly 6,500 languages spoken on planet Earth. There are 195 countries in which almost all of those languages can be found. Fascinating how we all breathe the same fundamental air, walk the same fundamental ground, and function the same fundamental way, yet would be completely lost in a foreign city. 

Communication is nothing short of valuable and without any thinking, it’s right at the tip of the tongue. That is until you’re gesturing for the bathroom or directions similar to a mime in a foreign country. Everything is bounded by communication, language. When a barrier of that nature presents itself, comprehension goes down the drain. Ordering tomato soup at a restaurant in Spain risks having a dinner of seasoned breadsticks for the night simply because communication wasn’t clear. 

But communication has deeper roots than getting on the wrong train: it's an emotional connection. Humans desire true attachment, not just two beings present but rather two souls, and typically we bare our hearts through expression in a form of language. It’s no coincidence that “finishing each other’s sentences” is a sign of comfort and synchrony. Noam Chomsky, American linguist and MIT professor, believes that language serves essentially for the expression of thought. He refers to the creative aspect of knowing a language as being able to “produce an infinite number of sentences never spoken before and to understand sentences never heard before.” This capability gives way to new ideas, emotions, and desires. 

Defined, language is a purely human and non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions and desires. It simply goes to show how everything is interconnected by a common ground- language. It’s no coincidence that couples perceive the foundation of their marriage through their wedding vows. As they are spoken into the air, they become connected for a lifetime. 

Language is not merely the formation of words and sentences, it’s everything we will ever know in one form or fashion. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.