THE DEFINITION OF THE WORD "LANGUAGE" CAN BE LIMITED TO MEAN "A VOCAL AND AUDITORY MEANS OF COMMUNICATION, WHICH WORKS BY THE SYMBOLIC PROCESS, WHICH HAS A COMPLEX STRUCTURE, AND WHICH IS CONSTANTLY CHANGING SO LONG AS IT REMAINS IN USE." THERE ARE SIX IMPLICATIONS OF THIS DEFINITION--(1) ALTHOUGH LANGUAGE IS PRIMARILY AUDITORY AND VOCAL, IT CAN BE EXTENDED BY THE ACTIVITY OF WRITING. (2) WHENEVER COMMUNICATION IS INTENDED, THE MEDIA IS A SYSTEM OF LANGUAGE. (3) WE CAN USE SOUND SYMBOLICALLY TO SPEAK OF AN INFINITE NUMBER OF CONCRETE, ABSTRACT, MYTHOLOGICAL, AND FANTASIED CONCEPTS WHICH CAN BE CHANGED AND ADAPTED TO NEW USES. (4) THROUGH A SCIENTIFIC TREATMENT OF LANGUAGE, SOME OF THE PRINCIPLES OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT, ITS STRUCTURE, AND USE HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED AND DEMONSTRATE THAT NO SET OF FEATURES CAN BE EXPECTED TO BE UNIVERSALLY PRESENT IN ALL LANGUAGES. (5) LANGUAGES ARE RESPONSIVE TO THE CULTURE THEY SERVE. (6) SINCE LANGUAGE CHANGES, THE ENGLISH TEACHER HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE A CONTINUOUS EFFORT TO EVALUATE AND, POSSIBLY, TO UTILIZE NEW LANGUAGE THEORIES. (THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN "LANGUAGE, LINGUISTICS, AND SCHOOL PROGRAMS, PROCEEDINGS OF THE SPRING INSTITUTES, 1963." CHAMPAIGN, ILL., NCTE, 1963.) (MM)