We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
from Part V - Language, Our Greatest Gift
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 September 2023
The great German poet Johann von Goethe (1749–1832) once said that because people can speak they think they are entitled to speak about language.1 The point he was making is that because we have language we think we have the necessary knowledge to make pronouncements on language. However, this is not true. In order to make objective statements about the structure and use of language one needs training as a linguist. So why does one need technical vocabulary when talking about language? The reason is that, although we all speak our native language effortlessly, there is a lot of internal structure involved in this process and we are normally unaware of this. To describe all facets of language one needs an array of technical terms. Bear in mind that most of our knowledge of language is unconscious, like an iceberg where nine-tenths are hidden below the water’s surface.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
