Object of Study Response

Language is a complex system that is agreed upon throughout society as a means of communication. Although this agreement may be altered by certain individuals within a society with the use of slang or code, the language that is used follows a certain structure or “contract”.

After reading The Object of Study, the main idea that appealed to me was the argument stating, “it is not clear that our vocal apparatus is made for speaking” (pg.2). I felt that this argument highlighted human’s intelligence and organizational skills in that generations before us were able to take advantage of the vocal apparatus that we possess and create something that would be relied upon for generations to come. Without this common understanding of communication, the world would not function as it does today and we would lack solidity in engaging with others.

Aside from the complexity of the creation of language, humans have also adapted language into forms aside from speech, including reading, writing, and sign language. Being able to code language into other forms again illustrates the human’s ability to organize a concept that can be adapted into society and learned by others as a way to transfer information.

I enjoyed that The Object of Study provided an insight into the complexity of linguistics. It fascinates me that something that the world may view as a natural gesture, is actually a system that has been created and continued throughout history with a mere coincidence that we possess a vocal apparatus.