How does human communication compare to animal communication?
The study of language is known as linguistics. Linguists are interested in a variety of questions related to speech, thought, understanding, communication, neuroscience and cognition. 1. Sounds: Phonetics and Phonology We will start with the mechanics of speech and language. One part of language is the sounds that accompany words. Each letter is associated with at least one sound, and a whole language is made up of patterns of sounds strung together. Sounds are studied through phonetics (the study of the physical aspects of speech, including how sounds are produced and detected) and phonology (the study of the patterns of sounds in human languages). 2. Word and Language Structure: Syntax and Morphology Language is organized into conceptual patterns in order to facilitate communication. Speakers of the same language generally follow an intricate set of instructions for constructing sentences and conveying thoughts. The specific order and tense of words allows a streamlined, intricate le
