Language is a mode of communication not affected by time but is continuously developed through time. This is seen in the second text by Ferdinand de Saussure’s Course in General Linguistics, where Saussure goes into depth on language. I found this text very interesting, he goes into depth on what language is and continues to break it down psychologically. According to Saussure, language is a list of words, each for the thing it names. He states that ” it does not tell us whether a name is vocal or psychological in nature”. I found that very interesting in a way that’s so true, we have a history of how language developed but we still don’t know exactly why those words were developed. Also, the fact that we link a name and an object as if it’s normal. The linguistic sign unites a concept and sound image that is sensory and connects the two. He also emphasizes that language always appears as a “heritage of the preceding period”. I actually never thought of that; I thought language is something that was always there but is just developed each time period. I also loved when he said that nowadays language is no longer free from time, which is true as time progresses there will be changes in language continually.
To me, there isn’t one exact thing that distinguishes language from other forms of communication. All the forms are similar in the same aspect however the mode there relay information is different. Language is communicated in words symbols and more. Symbols and signs are important to language in that it helps convey the information needed faster. Not only did language start as symbols and signs but it also language is a still communicated by symbols. Today we shorten words to get our ideas across faster , we use emojis , we use signs to show directions and more. Signs are used to show directions and to convey information , persuade someone or to help people make decisions. In Graphic Communication signs advertise a product or service or even directions.In Design Language helps us communicate our purpose or product across properly. The difference is language might be restrictive to sounds, syllables and words, meanwhile design has no restrictions when it comes to conveying information;design incorporates, words, colors, shapes, symbols, images and more. I love how the author Ellen Lupton of the reading Counting Sheep incorporated the pictographs or symbols as well as the words to convey informational and how ;how in the second reading Modern Hieroglyphs and Language of Dreams Abbot Miller not only went into depthon iths history but shows most of the symbols for each word. She emphasized that the alphabet does not aim to reproduce the spoken word and how everything in the spoken language can be broken down into numbers. She also spoke on Otto Nuerath who according to her “transcended national boundaries and unified global social life and saw pictoral communication as antidote to writing”. I found all three readings very interesting and very insightful to read.
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