6 Amazing Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Language
The way people communicate is an amazing thing. While animals often show verbal and non-verbal abilities to communicate with one another, many linguists believe that human language is very different, and much more complex. Here are some interesting facts you probably didn't know about language. 1. Infants can hear sounds in other languages that older babies and adults cannot. Have you ever wondered why speakers of other languages seem unable to say certain sounds in English? For example, speakers of Japanese often mix up the "r" and "l." This is because these sounds are produced in a similar place and in a similar way in the mouth that makes the untrained ear less able to discriminate between the two. Simply put, Japanese speakers don't have to use "l' and "r' in their language, thus they have not been trained to hear and discriminate between these two sounds. Instead, the Japanese use a single sound, that is produced in between where the English "l" and "r" would be produced in the mouth. However, researchers found that, unlike adults, infants can hear sounds in other languages, even if they are not regularly exposed to them. For example, babies that are exposed to English only will still be able to hear sounds that are unfamiliar up to roughly 10 months of age. Babies who are 10 to 12 months of age will begin to ignore sounds that are not heard in their own language. 2. Babies are able to remember songs and words they were exposed to while still in the womb. Researchers have found that these memories last until around four months after birth. It should come as no surprise then, that newborns are able to recognize the voice of their mother and distinguish it from other female voices. 3. Some linguists believe that language is innate in humans, that is, we naturally develop it with or without exposure. This is where it becomes even more interesting. Thousands of years ago, languages across the world shared similar structures and features even though the different peoples had not yet crossed continents or had the opportunity to converse with one another. 4. Over 900 of the world's languages are dying. When children are
no longer taught a language, it is doomed to die with the last of its older speakers. When a language dies, the world loses the unique knowledge it contained, such as the specific names for plant varieties that could be used for medicinal purposes. 5. The critical age for learning language ends around age 12. This means that children under age 12 learn language more easily and thoroughly. Because of this, children learning a new language who are under age 12 will generally not have an accent when they speak the new language, whereas children over age 12 are more likely to have an accent when they speak. 6. The flexibility of the English language allows for speakers to create grammatically correct, neverending sentences, though most English teachers would likely discourage such a run-on sentence. Consider the following example: I went to the store yesterday morning in my new car with my mother and my brother, who had recently come into town after graduating from college in New Hampshire, where my older sister had also gone to school and had come to visit before last Thanksgiving, when my Uncle Tom, who lives in New Jersey, had burnt the turkey that my mother had purchased from the grocery store in town that is next to the bank and.....etc. Humans are also thought to be the only species that uses language to express abstract thoughts and ideas that don't appear to serve any immediate purpose. Humans use language to talk about things that they cannot see or things that are not in their immediate surroundings. We use language creatively and often with the sole purpose of simply expressing ourselves poetically, bluntly, excitedly, or in whichever way we choose, making it evident that human language really is quite amazing.
