Language has been called the greatest achievement of humankind.

We often take our ability to speak for granted, but it is a complex endeavor requiring the brain to choreograph a wide array of tasks ranging from memory to muscle control.

Then, there is the mystery of language itself. What is a word? Why, in English, do we pronounce the "e" in haunted, but not in fished? Why does my cousin from Alabama say, y'all? How many languages are spoken in the world? Which language is the hardest to learn?

You can find the answers to these questions and more by exploring the field of Linguistics the study of the nature of language as a system of human communication.