Paragraph - Human Language and Animal Organism

Paragraph - Human Language and Animal Organism

An analogy can be drawn between human language and an animal organism. They bear similarity in some respects though they belong to different planes of existence. According to the revolutionary thinking in zoology only an individual possesses real existence. Orders, genera, and species in the zoological world are nothing more than conceptual groupings and distinctions. Likewise in language, an idiolect is the real linguistic phenomenon. Standard language, dialect, and varieties of languages are mere conceptual groupings and distinctions. In zoology, an individual is the real existence; in language, an idiolect is the real existence. Again, an individual animal organism develops on two factors: heredity and environment. So does an idiolect: it is formed under the influence of the speech of members of the social group on the one hand, and the quite unrelated and unique experiences of his physical and mental life. The speech of the social group in case of language is the equivalent of parents, and in case of language the individual's physical and mental experiences are an equivalent of environment. The similarities between human language and animal organism are striking.