language

[lang-gwij]

noun

1. a body of words and the systems for their use common to a people who are of the same community or nation, the same geographical area, or the same cultural tradition.

   the two languages of Belgium; a Bantu language; the French language; the Yiddish language.

2. communication by voice in the distinctively human manner, using arbitrary sounds in conventional ways with conventional meanings; speech.

3. the system of linguistic signs or symbols considered in the abstract (speech ).

4. any set or system of such symbols as used in a more or less uniform fashion by a number of people, who are thus enabled to communicate intelligibly with one another.

   Synonyms: lingua franca, lingo, terminology, tongue, tongue

5. any system of formalized symbols, signs, sounds, gestures, or the like used or conceived as a means of communicating thought, emotion, etc..

   the language of mathematics; sign language.

6. the means of communication used by animals.

   the language of birds.

7. communication of meaning in any way; medium that is expressive, significant, etc..

   the language of flowers; the language of art.

8. linguistics; the study of language.

9. the speech or phraseology peculiar to a class, profession, etc.; lexis; jargon.

   Synonyms: lingua franca, lingo, terminology, tongue, tongue

10. a particular manner of verbal expression.

    flowery language.

11. choice of words or style of writing; diction.

    the language of poetry.

12. Computers.,  a set of characters and symbols and syntactic rules for their combination and use, by means of which a computer can be given directions.

    The language of many commercial application programs is COBOL.

13. a nation or people considered in terms of their speech.

14. Archaic.,  faculty or power of speech.

language

/ ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ /

noun

1. a system for the expression of thoughts, feelings, etc, by the use of spoken sounds or conventional symbols

2. the faculty for the use of such systems, which is a distinguishing characteristic of man as compared with other animals

3. the language of a particular nation or people

   the French language

4. any other systematic or nonsystematic means of communicating, such as gesture or animal sounds

   the language of love

5. the specialized vocabulary used by a particular group

   medical language

6. a particular manner or style of verbal expression

   your language is disgusting

7. computing See programming language

8. to communicate with understanding because of common background, values, etc

language

1. A system of objects or symbols, such as sounds or character sequences, that can be combined in various ways following a set of rules, especially to communicate thoughts, feelings, or instructions.

2. See also machine language programming language

3. The set of patterns or structures produced by such a system.

Other Word Forms

• prelanguage adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of language¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French, variant spelling of langage, derivative of langue “tongue.” See lingua, -age

Word History and Origins

Origin of language¹

C13: from Old French langage, ultimately from Latin lingua tongue

Synonym Study

See speech. Language, dialect, jargon, vernacular refer to linguistic configurations of vocabulary, syntax, phonology, and usage that are characteristic of communities of various sizes and types. Language is a broad term applied to the overall linguistic configurations that allow a particular people to communicate: the English language; the French language. Dialect is applied to certain forms or varieties of a language, often those that provincial communities or special groups retain (or develop) even after a standard has been established: Scottish dialect; regional dialect; Southern dialect. A jargon is either an artificial linguistic configuration used by a particular (usually occupational) group within a community or a special configuration created for communication in a particular business or trade or for communication between members of groups that speak different languages: computer jargon; the Chinook jargon. A vernacular is the authentic natural pattern--the ordinary speech--of a given language, now usually on the informal level. It is at once congruent with and, in relatively small ways, distinguished from the standard language in syntax, vocabulary, usage, and pronunciation. It is used by persons indigenous to a certain community, large or small.

Example Sentences

The animation style and language is Western all the way, but the story, themes and especially the songs align with Korean culture.

From Salon

AI chatbots are trained to understand patterns of language so they can predict the sequence of words in a sentence.

From BBC

But despite the forceful language, the measures appear unlikely to pass and have been dismissed by Israel as "morally and politically distorted".

From BBC

“The DMV understands that language and symbols can hold different meanings across cultures and communities,” the statement said.

From Los Angeles Times

In my forthcoming book, “Rules for Reactionaries: How to Maintain Inequality and Stop Social Justice,” I explore the language strategies used to advance white supremacy and anti-feminism across U.S. politics and culture.

From Salon

Related Words

• accent 
• dialect 
• expression 
• jargon 
• prose 
• sound 
• speech 
• style 
• terminology 
• vocabulary 
• voice 
• word 
• wording 

When To Use

Spelling tips for language

The word language is hard to spell because it seems as if the middle g should be doubled based on the way it is pronounced [ lang-gwij ]. It is also hard to know how to spell the unusual sound made by its ending. How to spell language: The first part of language is spelled like it sounds: lang-. The ending is the suffix -age. But remember that in between those two word parts is the letter that makes the w sound, which is actually the letter u. So: lang + u + age.