A natural language or ordinary language is a
language
Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...
that occurs naturally in a human community by a process of use, repetition, and
change. It can take different forms, typically either a
spoken language or a
sign language
Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with #Non-manual elements, no ...
. Natural languages are distinguished from
constructed and
formal languages such as
those used to program computers or to study
logic
Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...
.
Defining natural language
Natural languages include ones that are associated with
linguistic prescriptivism or
language regulation. (
Nonstandard dialects can be viewed as a
wild type in comparison with
standard languages.) An
official language
An official language is defined by the Cambridge English Dictionary as, "the language or one of the languages that is accepted by a country's government, is taught in schools, used in the courts of law, etc." Depending on the decree, establishmen ...
with a regulating academy such as
Standard French, overseen by the , is classified as a natural language (e.g. in the field of
natural language processing
Natural language processing (NLP) is a subfield of computer science and especially artificial intelligence. It is primarily concerned with providing computers with the ability to process data encoded in natural language and is thus closely related ...
), as its prescriptive aspects do not make it constructed enough to be a
constructed language or controlled enough to be a
controlled natural language.
Natural language are different from:
* artificial and constructed languages, e.g.
computer programming languages
* constructed
international auxiliary languages
* non-human
communication systems in nature such as
whale and other marine mammal vocalizations or
honey bees'
waggle dance.
Controlled languages
Controlled natural languages are subsets of natural languages whose grammars and dictionaries have been restricted in order to reduce
ambiguity
Ambiguity is the type of meaning (linguistics), meaning in which a phrase, statement, or resolution is not explicitly defined, making for several interpretations; others describe it as a concept or statement that has no real reference. A com ...
and complexity. This may be accomplished by decreasing usage of
superlative or
adverbial forms, or
irregular verbs. Typical purposes for developing and implementing a controlled natural language are to aid understanding by non-native speakers or to ease computer processing. An example of a widely-used controlled natural language is
Simplified Technical English, which was originally developed for
aerospace
Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial, and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astron ...
and
avionics
Avionics (a portmanteau of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the Electronics, electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, Air navigation, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and the ...
industry manuals.
International constructed languages
Being constructed,
International auxiliary languages such as
Esperanto
Esperanto (, ) is the world's most widely spoken Constructed language, constructed international auxiliary language. Created by L. L. Zamenhof in 1887 to be 'the International Language' (), it is intended to be a universal second language for ...
and
Interlingua are not considered natural languages, with the possible exception of true native speakers of such languages.
[Gopsill, F. P., "A historical overview of international languages". In ''International languages: A matter for Interlingua''. Sheffield, England: British Interlingua Society, 1990.] Natural languages evolve, through fluctuations in vocabulary and syntax, to incrementally improve human communication. In contrast, Esperanto was created by Polish ophthalmologist
L. L. Zamenhof in the late 19th century.
Some natural languages have become organically "standardized" through the synthesis of two or more pre-existing natural languages over a relatively short period of time through the development of a
pidgin
A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a grammatically simplified form of contact language that develops between two or more groups of people that do not have a language in common: typically, its vocabulary and grammar are limited and often drawn f ...
, which is not considered a language, into a stable
creole language
A creole language, or simply creole, is a stable form of contact language that develops from the process of different languages simplifying and mixing into a new form (often a pidgin), and then that form expanding and elaborating into a full-fl ...
. A creole such as
Haitian Creole has its own grammar, vocabulary and literature. It is spoken by over 10 million people worldwide and is one of the two official languages of the
Republic of Haiti.
As of 1996, there were 350 attested families with one or more
native speakers of Esperanto.
Latino sine flexione, another international auxiliary language, is no longer widely spoken.
See also
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Notes
References
*
ter Meulen, Alice, 2001, "Logic and Natural Language", in Goble, Lou, ed., ''The Blackwell Guide to Philosophical Logic''. Blackwell.
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Natural language processing
Neuropsychological assessment
Language
Philosophical logic
Philosophy of language
Linguistics terminology