Communication and Language

Human communication and language, as part of it, is a phenomenon of enormous complexity, tai as seen when we consider the various disciplines who are responsible for their study and analysis, such as Anatomy, Physiology, Neurology, Psycholinguistics, Philology, Psychology, Speech Therapy, etc. 

Moreover, within these disciplines may also encounter very different theoretical perspectives and practices. 

A different perspective on language and its relation to human cognitive development Vygotsky offers us. For him the primary function of language is communication, social exchange, constituting a regulatory instrument and controller communicative exchanges. Although the author emphasizes communication as the main function of language also points to another set of basic functions. Thus, from the social interaction and language humans develop higher mental functions; in the first instance so interpsychological, later, after due process of reflection, a form intrapsychological, settling and deepening the development of these functions. All this explains from his famous "Law of the double formation of higher psychological processes."

In the mid-1970s came a new perspective in the study of language, with wide rear impact. This orientation, which left both the philosophy of language and linguistics from, emphasized the communicative aspects of language. This was considered as a privileged instrument for the regulation and control of social exchanges. Thus, according to this explanatory model, linguistic descriptions can not simply analyze the system regardless of the specific subject using it and the context in which they do. Learning to speak involves knowledge of phonological, syntactic and semantic rules, but also involves the knowledge about how to use them. Thus, the pragmatic joined research on language.

This perspective emphasizes that if the language is communication, its use implies a certain intention. Learning to speak also supposed to announce the intention to learn and learn to share a topic with one party and comment on it. From this model highlights the instrumental aspects of language, such that though well aware of the rules of functioning, if you do not know how they are used, it is virtually impossible to use.

The ability to communicate is not unique to humans, as has also been found that there is communication between animals, both in terms of sound signs as visual, olfactory and tactile, among others. However, the language itself is a characteristic of the human being and specific aspect, further conceptual thinking, both being closely related. In this context we can resume its analysis Aristotle, noting that man is the only animal that has the language and with it reason.

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