Languages

Language is the symbols we use in order to communicate with one another, and the rules that govern how we use them. We are wired to learn language from our earliest moments, and we learn at a quick speed. Language is the expression of human communication through which knowledge, belief, and behavior can be experienced, explained, and shared. This sharing is based on systematic, conventionally used signs, sounds, gestures, or marks that convey understood meanings within a group or community. Recent research identifies "windows of opportunity" for acquiring language--written, spoken, or signed--that exist within the first few years of life.