The mystery of why human beings developed a language for communication has, perhaps, been solved. With the combined efforts of physiologists, medical doctors, genetic scientists, anthropologists, molecular biologists, and others, the FOXP2 gene, the gene directly linked to developing the fine motor skills needed for communication, has been identified. Your own ability to use words, however, depends on your native architecture, cognitive development, and environmental influences. Language is one of our species' most important abilities (Kepp, 2000).

A word is a symbol; it stands for the object or concept it names. For us to understand one another, we must agree on what the particular word symbol stands for, in both its denotative and its connotative meanings.

Language is directly linked to your perception of reality and to your thought processes. Your perceptions and your thought processes begin in earliest childhood. Each person creates meanings for words as ideas, feelings, and activities change. Because meanings are determined by each person, it is important for the speaker to present ideas as clearly as possible while the listener tries to understand.

For language to be successful, it must be appropriate to the language environment. The language you should use in a particular environment is often determined by the role you are playing in that environment. Certain language rituals, conventionalized responses, are predetermined for you by the values of your society. You learn these and other forms of appropriate language during your childhood. When you become an adult and enter the work world, you often must learn a specialized language used by your occupational or professional group.

Style, the way you express yourself, is an important aspect of language. The style that is expected of you is often determined by the roles you play. If you do not modify your language to fit your role, you may speak in ways that are inappropriate for the occasion.

Your gender might determine the language style you use. Men are more likely to use report-talk, a language that maintains their status, demonstrates their knowledge and skills, and keeps them at the center of attention. In contrast, women are more likely to use rapport-talk, a language that leads to intimacy with others, establishes relationships, and compares experiences. Some scholars think, however, that looking for language differences between men and women may reinforce gender stereotypes.

If you belong to an ethnic group, you may use a dialect, the habitual language of your community. The advantage of dialect is that it helps a person fit into an ethnic community; the disadvantage is that it might not have prestige in a community where standard English is spoken.

Speaking and writing differ in that oral communication is more transactional. In oral communication, people interact continuously and simultaneously, and their conversation reflects their past knowledge of each other.

When you work on your communication, you have to decide what you want to say and how you want to say it. In choosing how you wish to communicate, you should aim for clarity, vividness, powerful talk, and ethical choices. Then you should ask to whom you are speaking and what metamessages--the meaning apart from the actual words--you are sending.