特别广播英语第 7 课：Language 语言-3

When babies laugh, we know they are happy, and when they cry, we know they are ill or simply want something. 当婴儿笑了，我们知道他们高兴了，当婴儿哭了，我们就知道他们病了或只不过是要什么东西。

It is the same with animals. When a dog says "G-r-r" or a cat says "F-f-f" we know they are angry. 动物也一样。当狗发出"呜！"的声音或猫发出"呋！"的声音。我们就知道它们发怒了。

But these sounds are not language. Language consists of words which we put together into sentences. 但这些声音都不是语言。语言是组词成句的。

But animals can not do this: a dog can say "G-r-r" when he means "I am angry," but he cannot say first "I" and then "am" and they "angry." 动物都不能组词成句：一条狗要表示我发怒了，只能发出"呜"的声音，但狗就不会先说"我"再说"发怒"再说"了"。

A parrot can talk like a man; it can repeat whole sentences and knows what they mean. 一只鹦鹉会像人一样学舌，也能重复一些完整的句子，也可以懂得这些句子的意思。

We may say that a parrot talks, but cannot say that it really speaks, because it cannot from new sentences out of the words it knows. 我们只能说鹦鹉会学舌，但我们不能说鹦鹉会真正发表讲话。因为鹦鹉不会用所知道的单词形成一些新的句子。

Only man has the power to do this. 只有人才有造句的本领。