ABSTRACT
Without reflection, we may think that language and communication are the same thing. That is not true. There are many ways of communicating without using verbal language. One way is with gestures. Deaf people use a system of gestures which qualifies as language. However, this is not the only way of communicating with gestures, and we all frequently convey meaning with gestures which do not qualify as language. For example, we may put a thumb up to signify approval, or show two fingers if we wish to be rude. These gestures do not form part of a language because, unlike sign language, they do not have any rules of grammar to govern the organization of units of meaning. To put it simply, you could not string together these informal gestures to make a sentence, whereas you could do that with the gestures of true sign language.
