No. Human communication goes much further. And it is that as we already know, living beings fulfill three vital functions: nutrition, relationship and reproduction. And when it comes to relationship, there are many forms of language that we can use to make ourselves understood. In this article we will provide you the classification of language.
The messages we generate can take on very different natures. And this is precisely what we will see in today’s article, as we will analyze the different ways in which we can classify human language and we will study the types that exist within each one.
How do we classify language?
Human language can be classified according to different criteria . Depending on its level of naturalness, depending on the nature of the message, depending on the sense that captures the information and depending on whether or not there is a recipient. Let’s take a look at them one by one. Below are Classification of language.
1. Depending on your level of naturalness
The level of naturalness refers to whether that form of language is innate to our nature (or we learn it when we are very young) or whether it must be worked on throughout life to master it. In this sense, we have natural and artificial language.
1.1. natural language
By natural language we understand any form of communication between people whose realization is innate or is learned unconsciously when we are small. In this sense we have everything related to non-verbal communication (how we gesture facial expressions to show rejection, for example) and our mother tongue, respectively.
1.2. literary artificial language
By artificial language we understand any form of communication between people whose realization implies an act of learning, since it is not an innate language nor do we develop it unconsciously in childhood. They are languages that meet specific objectives and are usually more complex.
In the specific case of literature, it is that form of language in which the ideas of the person who transmits the message must seek to create beauty and/or develop complex plots. It is the form of communication typical of books, stories, poetry, film scripts…
1.3. artificial programming language
The artificial programming language is one in which the “language of computers” is spoken. Obviously, their learning does not occur naturally, but rather it is necessary to go through an academic training that allows generating messages that are understood not by us humans, but by computers.
1.4. Artificial scientific-technical language
The scientific-technical artificial language is one in which words are used that, in general, are not used in natural communication. Be that as it may, they are languages that seek to transmit ideas to train students, make advances in science, find applications for discoveries, etc. In other words, it is the language used in biology, physics, chemistry, engineering classes…
1.5. informal artificial language
The informal artificial language arises from an alteration of the natural, in the sense that the forms of communication are altered with the aim of promoting closeness and spontaneity. It is the type of language in which colloquialisms are used, no attention is paid to the syntactic construction of sentences, it is improvised and it is common in areas of friendship, family, couple…
1.6. formal artificial language
The formal artificial language continues to be a modality of the natural language, but in this case the objective is to achieve an atmosphere of seriousness and respect. It is the type of language that flees from colloquialisms (and obviously from profanity words), it is about “you”, great importance is given to the syntactic construction of sentences and it is common in work, academic and, basically, professional environments. with people with whom we do not have much confidence or with whom we must demonstrate a high degree of professionalism.
2. Depending on the nature of the message
Another of the most common forms of classification is according to the nature of the message , that is, how the ideas are transmitted. In this sense, we basically have verbal language (words are generated) or non-verbal language (words are not generated). But within each one there are different types. Let’s see them.
2.1. oral verbal language
As we have said, verbal language is all that form of communication in which information is transmitted through words. In the case of oral, it is the type of verbal language in which we speak and produce structured and organized sounds, that is, words. Therefore, this form of communication based on the emission and reception of sounds is what we know as oral communication.
2.2. written verbal language
Written verbal language is one that continues to use words to transmit information, but in this case we do not generate them through sounds, but rather they are captured on a surface and we capture them through the sense of sight. It is the type of language that occurs in books, stories, newspapers, web pages…
23. iconic nonverbal language
We now enter the forms of communication that do not use words. Iconic language is one in which we use signs, symbols and images to convey information. It is not necessary to resort to words for the message to reach the recipient. When we are driving and we see a “give way” sign, even though there is nothing written, as we are able to understand the symbology, we quickly get the message.
2.4. nonverbal body language
Body language includes all the information that we transmit through the voluntary and involuntary movements of our body. Communication experts argue that when people talk face to face, only 35% of the information that we actually transmit is verbal. The other 65% are gestures and everything related to non-verbal language. When we cross our arms to indicate discomfort, we are resorting to body language. The body says more about us than words.
2.5. nonverbal facial language
Facial language is a branch of body language and refers to all the information that we transmit without the need to generate words, but simply with the gesticulation of facial faces. Smiling, frowning, closing your eyes, yawning… All of this is facial language.
3. Depending on the sense that captures the information
Another way of classifying language is according to the sense of our body that captures the information, that is, where the message enters . In this sense, we have the visual language, the sound, the tactile and even, despite the fact that it is surprising, the olfactory language.
3.1. Visual language
By visual language we understand any form of communication, regardless of whether it is natural or artificial, whether it is verbal or non-verbal, but which has the characteristic that the message is captured through the sense of sight, that is, “it enters through the eyes”. Here we have body communication, writing, iconic language, etc.
3.2. sound language
By sound language we understand any form of communication in which we capture the message through the sense of hearing. Here we have, obviously, oral language, since a person emits sounds and we capture it through hearing.
3.3. tactile language
Tactile language is one in which we capture information through the sense of touch. The clearest example of this form of communication is braille, a reading system based on the sense of touch and designed for people with visual disabilities.
3.4. olfactory language
And although perhaps surprising, there is also the olfactory language. And it is that smells can give us a lot of information, including in human relationships. Depending on how, although it may sound bad, a person smells, it will be giving us specific information about what it is like.
Pheromones are also included here, that is, molecules that we emit in the air and that are captured by other individuals. These pheromones, although we are not aware of it, are powerful forms of communication, especially related to sexual attraction.
4. Depending on whether or not there is a recipient
There are times when we emit words with the aim of simply talking to ourselves, while other times what we want is to communicate with other people. In this sense, language can be classified as egocentric or social , respectively.
4.1. egocentric language
Egocentric language, very common in children, is that way of verbalizing thoughts that, in adulthood, is replaced by the “inner voice“. In other words, by egocentric language we understand those forms of communication in which thoughts are only emitted in order to organize our activities, but without the intention of relating to other people.
4.2. social language
Social language is the opposite of the previous one in the sense that, in this case, the messages that we send abroad do have the purpose of reaching another person. In other words, here there is communication as such, since the objective of language is to relate to other people. Natural or artificial language, verbal or non-verbal, oral or written, visual or sound… They are all forms of social communication.
We hope that you have understood Classification of language.
