Today there is no doubt that language is a universal phenomenon of life on this earth. Human beings, animals, birds and even plants possess languages unique to them. Modern science has discovered that all types of creatures - animals, birds, fishes engage in communication and have well developed semiotic systems involving sounds, colours, smells and body language. They have even discovered that plants  have well built communication systems such as colour and odour signals.

In its simplest understanding, by ‘communication’ we mean passing on or exchanging ideas, meanings and messages. But today linguists and psychologists have discovered that communication in language is a far more complex activity than mere exchange of ideas or meanings.

Fundamentally any language performs two types of communicative functions for us humans. One, it serves a mathetic end and two it serves a pragmatic need. We may say that we use language to reach out to others and our environment and to build bridges of relations.

For example: “The grass is green” or “Oh! She is so beautiful” or “It looks hard to do” are all utterances primarily mathetic in nature.

Saying, “You are so nice” or “I’d like to watch you dance” or “Go fetch sweets for me” are all utterances primarily pragmatic in nature.

Psychologists have found that a mere three-year old child can already perform more than 32 such varieties of functions such as requesting, responding, describing, stating and other conversational devices.

Contemporary linguists have even identified some basic themes of linguistic communications such as expression of self and others, qualitative and quantitative exploration of time, place, space, distance and matter, all of which give a very philosophical and humanistic understanding of the nature of our language or in other words what we mean by grammar of language.

Understanding the nature of language

If we understand the activity of communication in these terms we may observe some important aspects of grammar of our language. Humans have evolved languages, which provide them with the needful tools, such as sounds, expressions and structures in order to carry out these communicative functions.

Furthermore, the grammar or repertoire as in contemporary parlance, of this highly evolved human language is shaped by the social and psychological roles the human speakers can play or would like to play in using the language, the social and psychological relation they have or desire to have with others and the environment in socially shaped contexts and situations.

Let me clarify with examples:

If a speaker wants to make friends with another in the situation of a social gathering of any kind he will take on a suitable role which is attractive to the other and speak in attractive and friendly language. Our language has evolved a repertoire for this purpose over the centuries and this grammar is available to the user.

Or imagine a young student learning from a teacher; the young learner may use a language appropriate to his age and role as one wanting to learn from a person who knows better than he does in the formal social context of the classroom or school.

Socially regulated roles and contexts dictate the ways in which we use language in order to perform these communicative acts of mathetic and pragmatic types. In this way our language is also a social tool held by a group that is ruled by social norms of conduct.

Lastly, language is also composed of a whole range of matching tones, pitch, and body language such as facial expressions, and physical gesturing.

Language, communication and learning

In this deep way of understanding a language, learning a new language is equated with knowing how to perform the communicative acts appropriately to one’s inner needs and befitting to the external social roles to be played by us especially in the context in which we are to function.

Knowing a language means that one knows how to use it, i.e. what to say to whom and how best to say it in social specific contexts and situations.

It also means that we can use it at length, i.e. to make sense in long connected interactive chunks. 

This new way of looking at language and communication can also help us to grapple with grammar intelligently. The traditional way of looking at grammar is that it is a baggage of numerous rules and irrational conventions. For most if us this baggage becomes unwieldy in use. Generally when we are in the act of communication we find that giving a thought to proper grammar is a setback and causes damage to our expressions.

A proper understanding of why we use language, how we communicate as humans, and in what contexts gives philosophical and humanist insights into grammatical expressions of our language. This will help us to dispel our anxiety and incomprehension of its rules.