Can language be compared with other human forms of symbolic representations?

Question

When i say human forms of symbolic representation, i mean gestures, sign language, dance, painting, music, or mathematics? How is language similar to or different from these?

Answer 1

Of course. Ideas are represented in words. Your words are graphically composed of letters and each letter representing a corresponding sound.

In sign language, thoughts are represented by signs which correspond to a word. I am not deaf and when I don't know the sign of a word, I use dactylology or spell out each letter by signs.

Answer 2

They are all forms of communication. I'm not entirely sure what you are asking but I'll try to answer this to the best of knowledge...I'm a new linguistic student so I don't have all the answers.

What I can tell you is this, children are born with the "programming" to learn language. Up until they hit puberty, they can easily learn and become fluent in other languages quite readily. Children are born knowing how to put the words they've learned into proper lexical categories (mental word categories) and know how to use those words in full sentences.

Symbolic representation can be quite arbitrary and will make sense only to the people who share the same culture and language information such as: Stop Lights, wedding rings, the alphabet, etc. If you see a painting depicting Dante's Inferno for example, so those who are not familiar with the culture or story would just see a painting. Others would see Dante's Inferno because they knew that's what they were supposed to see.

Sign Language is a little different because again, it is a language all by itself (ASL, not ESL) and a child who has no other means of communication will pick up the language. However, ASL will make sense only to those who speak it. Someone who spoke Chinese sign language would not understand it.

I don't know if this helps but I tried....

Answer 3

Only sign language, because that's connected to our innate language system in the brain, the others, especially mathematics, are far removed from that, and way less important for the survival of the species.
Language originally was in no way "symbolic", but very concrete, and still is for small children.

Answer 4

I've heard the sayings, mathematics is a Universal language and that music is a global language. I mean the majority can relate to music regardless of language barriers.