Language is a complex system of signs governed by a set of rules, according to which it is allowed to combine them. Each member of a linguistic community knows their code and uses it to communicate.
Language is the product of a social convention and constitutes a cultural heritage; It is acquired naturally and all people are trained to learn any language. Languages are systems that allow the individual to understand and produce an unlimited number of sentences and messages, starting from a small number of signs and rules.
Spanish, English, French, German, Greek, Russian, Chinese, Nahuatl and Quechua are languages used by different linguistic communities, currently there are approximately five thousand languages in the world.
In the geographical area of a language, linguistic varieties occur that correspond to distinct zones or regions. The dialects are varieties of a common language that has a certain geographical extension. In some way, a language is the set of dialects that compose it.
Political borders do not coincide with linguistic boundaries. In fact, it is estimated that the thousands of languages that exist are distributed in barely more than two hundred countries. However, the distinction between language and dialects is based on linguistic, social and cultural issues, among which the following should be highlighted:
- The existence of a rule applicable to writing, that is, a set of grammatical and orthographic rules.
Its application in education or in the media. - The existence of a literary tradition.
- Historical factors that explain the evolution of dialects and languages.