Language - An Abstract Information Network

The origins of language are unknown and hotly debated

Language is a system in which information is conveyed by the association of gestures, sounds, or symbols with specific meanings. It is possibly one of the most foundational information networks.

It allows for the description of people, places, and things in scenarios that can be historical, future-facing, or imaginary.

Example: In any given conversation, two people that share a language might discuss their dreams, current projects, complain about last week, and plan for next week.

Language enables the sharing of complex and abstract information across generations through writing, oral lore, and tradition. This ability to share information from ancestor to descendant forms the foundation of both society and culture, leading up to modern times.

The very act of recording history is only possible through the structure of language.

Cave paintings can be thought of as a form of language. They tell a story (convey information) through the shape of man or animal (shared associations) doing some action. While we may share enough familiarity with those shapes to glean some small aspect of the painter's original meaning, the story they intended to tell will never be fully known.

Society has largely been dependent on two particular language systems - Speech and Writing. From them have spawn an uncountable number of information networks in an uncountable number of forms. For example, both magazines and newspapers are forms of information networks that are built on top of writing, which is built on top of language.

Before literacy was widespread, written information networks were exclusive and often controlled by royalty or religion. The invention of the printing press slowly brought that to an end. It ushered in an era where the common man could learn to read and form their own interpretations.

We've come a long way since then. The invention of the internet began a new era in information networks.