A language is a method of communication and is a method used by human beings to describe their experiences.

Human spoken languages can be described as a system of symbols (sometimes known as lexemes) and the grammars (rules) by which the symbols are manipulated.

Language learning is normal in human childhood. Most human languages use patterns of sound or gesture for symbols which enable communication with others.

There are thousands of human languages, and these seem to share certain properties, even though every shared property has exceptions.

There is no defined line between a language and a dialect, but it is often said that a language is a dialect with an army and a navy, a statement credited to Max Weinreich.

Humans and computer programs have also constructed other languages, including conlangs such as Esperanto, Interlingua and Klingon, programming languages, and various mathematical formalisms. These languages are not necessarily restricted to the properties shared by human languages.