This article is about the properties of language in general. For the use of language by humans, see human language. For the linguistics journal, see Language (journal). Cuneiform tablet A language is a system of visual, auditory, or tactile symbols of communication and the rules used to manipulate them. Language can also refer to the use of language by humans, see human language. For the use of language by humans, see human language. For the use of language by humans, see human language. For the use of such systems as a general phenomenon. Language is considered to be an exclusively human mode of communication; although other animals make use of all of the properties that linguists use to define language. Contents 1 Properties of language 2 Human languages 3 Artificial languages 3.1 International auxiliary languages 3.2 Controlled languages 3.3 Constructed languages 4 Formal languages 4.1 Programming languages 5 The study of language Main article: Linguistics The historical record of linguistics begins in India with P�ṇini, the 5th century BCE grammarian of the Tamil work Tolk�ppiyam. P�ṇini’s grammar is highly systematized and technical. Inherent in its analytic approach are the concepts of the phoneme, the morpheme, and the root; Western linguists only recognized the phoneme some two millennia later. Tolk�ppiyar's work is perhaps the first to describe articulatory phonetics for a language. Its classification of the alphabet into consonants and vowels, and elements like nouns, verbs, vowels, and consonants, which he put into classes, were also breakthroughs at the time. In the Middle East, the Persian linguist Sibawayh (سیبویه) made a detailed and professional description of Arabic in 760 CE in his monumental work, Al-kitab fi al-nahw (الكتاب �ي النحو, The Book on Grammar), bringing many linguistic aspects of language to light. In his book, he distinguished phonetics from phonology. Later in the West, the success of science, mathematics, and other formal systems

Turkmenistan Redenominates Currency, Further Dismantles Niyazov ... - Radio Free Europe

Turkmenistan has redenominated its national currency, the manat, cutting off three zeroes while also removing the image of its autocratic former leader, Saparmurat Niyazov, from all coins and all but one banknote. The government says the procedure ...

Police shoot man in high-speed chase in cent. Ill. - 14 WFIE

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP) - Police in McLean County have shot a man on Interstate 39 after he led officers on a high-speed chase. Authorities say the man is suspected of robbing four banks last month. On Monday, police said the man robbed a Bloomington ...

Shop at banks for best deals on currency - Allentown Morning Call

Q: I vacation in Europe frequently and lately have been appalled at the high cost of buying euros. Even the credit card companies are taking an extra cut. Do you have any tips on the best rates or methods for buying euros? A: For starters, don't use ...

EU says euro adoption runs smoothly in Slovakia - Xinhua News Agency

BRUSSELS, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission said on Monday that the changeover to the euro in Slovakia is taking place smoothly. By the end of Saturday some 27 percent of payments in shops were made in euro and virtually all customers were ...

National Bank in Belarus devalues currency 20 percent to get IMF loan ... - Newsday

MINSK, Belarus (AP) — Belarus' central bank sharply devalued the Belarusian ruble Friday, allowing the currency to plunge 20 percent to help stop the hemorrhaging of its reserves. The move came as an unwelcome shock to ordinary citizens. The ...

CONMED Corporation Provides Business Update - MSN MoneyCentral

CONMED Corporation (NASDAQ: CNMD) announced today that its fourth quarter 2008 sales will be approximately 9% lower than previously anticipated due to unfavorable foreign currency exchange fluctuations and lower than anticipated sales volumes for ...

FEI expects 4Q gross bookings of more than $170M - Forbes

FEI Co. , which supplies equipment used in imaging, analysis and prototyping, said Monday it expects fourth-quarter gross bookings of more than $170 million. The company initially projected gross bookings would be more than $150 million, which ...