If language is like food, then the ingredients are its words; the cooking process is its grammar; the nutritional value is its semantics. Some sentences are simple staples like rice and beans. Others are primarily aesthetic, finely crafted, and honed over time like a French sauce. Like the ingredients in any dish, the words of a language depend largely on geography. At the same time, we borrow words from other cultures just as we may borrow ingredients from other cuisines. Spanglish is like fusion food. Some cooking processes are rigid, time-consuming, and complex like proper grammar; others are looser and more flexible like everyday speech. There are some dishes you would serve your mother and others that are too spicy for her. Some language is long-winded and without substance; some is meaty; some is so packed with goodness that you return it again and again. Ascription to the rules of grammar say a lot about the communicator. Someone who speaks in a formal manner may come across as being snobbish; a person who deliberately ignores the rules of grammar may seem uncouth. Not knowing jargon can be a sure sign of being a wannabe or an outsider. Every field has its jargon: from medicine to sports. To be able to communicate with people in those fields it is necessary to at least learn a few rules of thumb or vocabulary words. Language conveys social status readily through content, vocabulary, and grammar.

The way a person uses language can indicate personality. For instance, a person who interrupts a lot will be perceived differently than a good listener. A person who says "Like," "y'know" and "uh" a lot will lack the impression of confidence and poise. Loudness, delivery, and timing are all communication features that transcend actual vocabulary and grammar but which say a lot about a person. Yet at its most...

Expressing simple thoughts such as "I need that," or "I like this" do not require any depth of analysis. Nowhere is this more evident than when someone tries to acquire a second, or third language. At the early stages of learning a new language, the individual just wants to be understood. Being able to write poetry in Russian is secondary to being able to order food or tell someone that you love them. Language does not have to be understood at a biological level for it to be useful and for a person to be able to get a point across.
As the primary means of social discourse, language is at once universal and parochial. Surviving without language would be akin to living off of berries and nuts; it is possible but not desirable. Human beings are social creatures and language is a staple of interpersonal relationships, the glue that holds friends, families, and societies together. Even individuals who cannot rely on verbal communication like the hearing impaired have languages. Their languages use gestures instead of words but they are still languages with components like vocabulary, structure, synonymy, and semantics. Taking language for granted is easy until we encounter those who cannot communicate. Autistic individuals or persons with aphasia due to stroke become visibly frustrated from their inability to capitalize on language. Unable to feed off of the building block of human communication, being language impaired is like being malnourished.

Works Cited

Kemerling, Garth. "Language and Logic." 27 Oct 2001. Retrieved June 6, 2007 from http://www.philosophypages.com/lg/e04.htm

Schutz, Ricardo. "Stephen Krashen's Theory of Second Language Acquisition." 20 Aug. 2005. Retrieved June 6, 2007 from http://www.philosophypages.com/lg/e04.htm