An Advanced English Grammar with Exercises

An Advanced English Grammar with Exercises

Language is the expression of thought by means of spoken or written words. The English word language comes (through the French langue) from the Latin lingua, the tongue. But the tongue is not the only organ used in speaking. The lips, the teeth, the roof of the mouth, the soft palate (or uvula), the nose, and the vocal chords all help to produce the sounds of which language consists. These various organs make up one delicate and complicated piece of mechanism upon which the breath of the speaker acts like that of a musician upon a clarinet or other wind instrument. Spoken language, then, is composed of a great variety of sounds made with the vocal organs. A word may consist of one sound (as Ah! or O or I), but most words consist of two or more different sounds (as go, see, try, finish). Long or short, however, a word is merely a sign made to express thought. Thought may be imperfectly expressed by signs made with the head, the hands, etc. Thus, if I grasp a persons arm and point to a dog, he may understand me to ask, Do you see that dog? And his nod in reply may stand for Yes, I see him. But any dialogue carried on in this way must be both fragmentary and uncertain. To express our thoughts fully, freely, and accurately, we must use words,that is, signs made with the voice. Such voice-signs have had meanings associated with them by custom or tradition, so that their sense is at once understood by all. Their advantage is twofold: they are far more numerous and varied than other signs; and the meanings attached to them are much more definite than those of nods and gestures. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 45814
Author: Farley, Frank Edgar
Release Date: May 29, 2014
Format: eBook
Language: English

Contributors

Contributor (Author): Kittredge, George Lyman, 1860-1941