Language is a system of terms that are used in a particular manner and carry a particular meaning. The building blocks of language are words, each one carries a meaning which Langer describes in her essay Language and thought as having symbolic significance. Symbols and signs are the words of the language, where symbols can trigger a particular thought and not just a mere announcement of an object as signs do. This symbolic expression allows us to think outside of our immediate stimuli, and this is " a tangent that takes us far away from the mere biological cycle that animal generations accomplish."(Langer 2

Language and its use symbols has set us apart from the rest of the animal world. Because of language we can share ideas, educate ourselves and improve our lives. Language helps us as a society to keep evolving, without it we still would have been like apes pointing fingers at what we see.

Malcolm X describes how his knowledge and intellect was expanded through his studies of language in his essay Homemade Education. When imprisoned in jail he feels a need to be able to express himself better and more accurately, so he studies the language by memorizing words and their meanings from a dictionary. Just like Keller through language he is able to broaden his knowledge, "Anyone who has read a great deal can imagine the new world that opened"(Malcolm X 55). Both of these great scholars became knowledgeable through their studies and exposure to language.

So if symbolic meaning of words is what makes language, how did it evolve? One theory is that language evolved from signs, which are used by an

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Approximate Word count = 679
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)