Language is not just used for talking. It is our most important communication tool. Through language, we can tell other people what we think, how we feel, and what we need. Civilization itself depends on our ability to communicate.

Nobody knows exactly when people first started using language. Some scientists say that people first spoke to one another about two million years ago, while others say that the use of human language occurred only about 50,000 years ago.

Languages survive, grow, disappear, move from place to place, and change with time. Some languages are ancient; others are new. There are nearly 7,000 different living languages around the world today (though there are many different ways to count languages). Many thousands more are already extinct. These languages all sound different, but they are thought to have come from a single ancient language. English, for example, originally evolved out of the ancient Germanic language. Germanic evolved into three types, West Germanic, East Germanic, and North Germanic. From West Germanic came Old English, and then over time, today's modern English.

Today, languages are used not only for conversation, but also in the magazines, books, and movies that fill our libraries and bookstores. The long stories we can tell separate us from the great apes.

Throughout history, many languages have served as a lingua franca—a common language that could be used as a bridge between people of different cultures. Today, English is the main language that plays that role around the world. Over two billion people have some ability to use English. Most of these people have studied English as a second or third language.

Language helps people to cooperate, share knowledge, and build up modern societies. The development of humanity's many languages was an important process that helped humans create their civilizations.

語言不只是用來說話而已，它是我們最重要的溝通工具。透過語言，我們可以告訴其他人我 們的想法、感覺，還有需要。文明本身就是靠著人類的溝通能力所建立。

沒有人知道人類到底是何時首度使用語言的。一些科學家認為，人類在大約200萬年前開始與其他人說話，而有些則認為人類語言的使用僅於5 萬年前才開始。

語言會留存、成長、消失、遷移，並且隨著時間改變。有些語言非常古老；有些則是新出現的。現今，全世界大約有七千種不同的語言仍在使用中（雖然語言種類有許多不同算法），也有超過數千種語言已經絕跡。這些語言或許聽來各異，但一般認為它們都來自單種古代的語言。舉例而言，英語最初是由古日耳曼語演變而來。日耳曼語系分為三支系：西日耳曼語、東日耳曼語和北日耳曼語。西日耳曼語進化為古英語，隨時間推移，變成今日的英語。

今日，語言不僅用於對話，也運用在圖書館和書店裡的雜誌、書籍和電影中。人類表達長篇故事的能力，讓我們與類人猿有所區隔。

綜觀整個歷史，有許多語言曾被用來當成「通用語」，也就是一種能夠拿來當作不同文化間橋梁的語言。現今，英語在全世界扮演主要通用語角色。有超過20億人會說英語，其中大多數的人還曾將英語當成是第二或第三語言來學習。

英語幫助人們相互合作、分享知識與感情，並建造現代化的社會。人類文明中多種語言的發展歷程，也正是幫助人類邁向文明的重要過程。