language

language
language [laŋ′gwij]
n.
[ME < OFr langage < langue, tongue < L lingua, tongue, language, altered (by assoc. with lingere, to lick) < OL dingua < IE * dṇg̑hwa > OE tunge, TONGUE]
1.
a) human speech
b) Archaic the ability to communicate by this means
c) a system of vocal sounds and combinations of such sounds to which meaning is attributed, used for the expression or communication of thoughts and feelings
d) the written representation of such a system
2.
a) any means of expressing or communicating, as gestures, signs, or animal sounds [body language]
b) a special set of symbols, letters, numerals, rules, etc. used for the transmission of information, as in a computer
3. all the vocal sounds, words, and ways of combining them common to a particular nation, tribe, or other speech community [the French language]
4. the particular form or manner of selecting and combining words characteristic of a person, group, or profession; form or style of expression in words [the language of teenagers]
5. the study of language in general or of some particular language or languages; linguistics
6. Informal coarse or obscene words and expressions
——————
speak the same language or speak someone's language
to have the same beliefs, attitudes, etc. (as another)

English World dictionary. . 2014.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • language — lan‧guage [ˈlæŋgwɪdʒ] noun 1. [countable, uncountable] a system of speaking and writing used by people in one country or area: • the French language • Do you speak any foreign languages? • Trading in Europe means communicating in more than one… …   Financial and business terms

  • Language — Lan guage, n. [OE. langage, F. langage, fr. L. lingua the tongue, hence speech, language; akin to E. tongue. See {Tongue}, cf. {Lingual}.] [1913 Webster] 1. Any means of conveying or communicating ideas; specifically, human speech; the expression …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • language — I noun communication, composition, dialect, expression, faculty of speech, folk speech, form of expression, formulation, idiom, jargon, lingua, linguistics, means of communication, oral, oratio, parlance, phrasing, phraseology, rhetoric, sermo,… …   Law dictionary

  • Language — Lan guage, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Languaged}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Languaging}.] To communicate by language; to express in language. [1913 Webster] Others were languaged in such doubtful expressions that they have a double sense. Fuller. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • language — language, philosophy of …   Philosophy dictionary

  • language — /lang gwij/, n. 1. a body of words and the systems for their use common to a people who are of the same community or nation, the same geographical area, or the same cultural tradition: the two languages of Belgium; a Bantu language; the French… …   Universalium

  • Language — This article is about the properties of language in general. For other uses, see Language (disambiguation). Cuneiform is one of the first known forms of written language, but spoken language is believed to predate writing by tens of thousands of… …   Wikipedia

  • language — n. linguistic system of communication 1) to use a language 2) to plan; standardize a language 3) to learn, master a language 4) to speak (in) a language 5) to butcher, murder; enrich; purify a language 6) (the) spoken; written language 7) one s… …   Combinatory dictionary

  • language — noun 1 system of communication ADJECTIVE ▪ first, native ▪ She grew up in Mexico, so her first language is Spanish. ▪ foreign, second ▪ How many foreign languages does she speak? …   Collocations dictionary

  • language —    In religion, issues of language and meaning are highly significant. A religion based on a text has to determine what the text means, and although this might have been clear to those who were present when the revelation of the Qur’an was given… …   Islamic philosophy dictionary

  • LANGUAGE —    The Etruscan language does not survive as a literary record and has to be largely reconstructed from funerary inscriptions and some words recorded by later authors. The surviving evidence of the Etruscan language comes from a restricted… …   Historical Dictionary of the Etruscans

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”