Key knowledge:

• The properties that distinguish human communication as unique
• Language as a meaning making system that can be both arbitrary and rule governed
• The primary modes of language: spoken, written, sign
• Major functions that language serves when used in a given context
• The influence of context on language choice
• Features that characterise speech and writing
• The structure of language, from morphemes to lexemes, to phrases and clauses, to sentence structures and types
• Metalanguage to discuss aspects of the nature and functions of human language