Introduction

 

Composition Theory Camps

 

Composition Theory Chart

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Sample Assignments/Exercises

8. What is language?

 

For cognitivists, language is a set of signs that is used to move from the non-verbal to the verbal. James Berlin sums up this idea well: "Language is regarded as a system of rational signs that is compatible with the mind and the external world, enabling the 'translating' or 'transforming' of the non-verbal intellectual operations into the verbal" (686).