Some like to make parallels to biology, where it is not always possible to make a well-defined distinction between one species and the next. In either case, the ultimate difficulty may stem from the interactions between languages and populations, with modification. (See dialect or August Schleicher for a longer discussion.)
The concepts of Ausbausprache, Abstandsprache, and Dachsprache are used to make finer distinctions about the degree of difference between languages or dialects.
Linguistics examines different theoretical perspectives on human language in detail. The Linguistics article is a useful introductory article about language.
One prominent artificial language, called Esperanto, was created by L. L. Zamenhof. It was a compilation of various elements of different languages, which was intended to be an easy-to-learn language.
Other writers, such as J. R. R. Tolkien, have created fantasy languages, for literary, linguistic, or personal reasons. One of Tolkien’s languages is called Quenya, which is a form of Elvish. It includes its own alphabet and pronunciations aligned with those of Germanic-heritage humans.
While the term ‘Non-Human Animal Languagess’ is widely used, most researchers agree that they are not as complex or expressive as the human language. Some researchers also argue that there are significant differences separating human language from the communication of other animals, and that the underlying principles are not related.
Other researchers argue that a continuum exists between the communication methods of all animals. Almost all researchers agree that human language is more complex than communication between other animals. For more on communication among non-human animals, see The Animal Communication Project.
Mark Rosenfelder's Metaverse provides a useful listing of 4000 languages and dialects (grouped by their relationships), where the numbers one to ten in each language can be found
Poetry Teachers Resources for teaching poetry to children, including lesson plans, performance tips, and fun activities. http://www.poetryteachers.com
Lucid Learning English professor shares ideas for teaching the language arts at all grade levels. http://home.elp.rr.com/lucidlearning/
Language Arts - High School Mini-lessons for high school (9-12). http://youth.net/cec/ceclang/ceclang-high.html
Davis School District Language Arts Site Links to categories such as research, literature, grammar, writing, reading, and lesson plans as well as course descriptions and standards. http://www.davis.k12.ut.us/curric/languagearts/
Ask Oxford Word of the Day, Quote of the Week, and several word games. In addition, there is a question form to Ask the Experts and receive the Final Word on English language questions. http://www.askoxford.com/
Mr. Lackey's Page Educational resources and curriculum links for secondary language arts teachers and students. http://www.bright.net/~dlackey/lackey.html
The English Association Association for teachers of English literature and language at all levels from primary to post-graduate, and for all those with an interest in the English language and its literatures. http://www.le.ac.uk/engassoc/
Building Cathedrals Offers articles related to reading and writing instruction, as well as inspirational readings to motivate teachers. http://www.jimpaterno.com/bc.html
Velleman's Drama Workshops and Activities Offers free monthly drama activity. Also provides workshops for organizations and school districts. http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/avelleman/
School-Home Links Materials for families to ensure good reading skills in children. Includes 400 activities for K-3 students. From the U.S. Department of Education. http://www.ed.gov/pubs/CompactforReading/
Language and Literacy Environments in Preschools ERIC Digest discusses the research on preschool literacy environments and their contributions to reading skills development. http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed426818.html
Howell's Webroom Resources for English/Language Arts teachers, K-12 teachers, students, and parents. http://www.mrsjoyce.com/
Scripts for Schools Markets play scripts, reading scripts, and choral speaking scripts for schools and libraries. Provides free online samples. http://scriptsforschools.com/
K-12 English Annotated links to English resources online. http://www.ceismc.gatech.edu/busyt/eng.html
Legends Exploring legend in history, folklore, literature, fiction, and the arts. http://www.legends.dm.net/
Children's Literature and Language Arts Resources Menu Page Resources on books and reading, elementary and middle school curricula, literary enrichment activities, lesson plans and other curriculum support. http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/childlit.htm
Youth Poetry Program of the Philadelphia Free Library allows young writers to see their poetry published online. http://thegalleriesatmoore.org/poetry/
Mr. Heitmann's Language Arts Page Report-writing guide as well as links to help with grammar, terms, writing skills and reading comprehension. http://members.aol.com/MrHLakeRiviera/language.html
SpellMaster Free online tool allows teachers to create their own Flash-based vocabulary learning games. Program may also be downloaded for offline use. http://www.spellmaster.com/
English/Language Arts Education - Michigan Teacher Network Offers K-12 language arts teachers 350+ reviews of Web resources correlated to Michigan curriculum standards, including reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary, speech, journalism, and literature. http://mtn.merit.edu/english.html
EDSITEment Click on the "Literature and Language Arts" text to access numerous resources from the Academy of American Poets through Women of the West Museum as well as lesson plans and activities. http://edsitement.neh.gov
Learning in Motion Resources from tongue twisters to Zen stories. http://www.learn.motion.com
lang Weekly grammar rules, person of the month, riddles, jokes, and miscellaneous non-language links. http://www.geocities.com/msirresolution/lang.html
The Dialect Coach Offers dialect coaching in all dialects for actors as well as accent reduction. http://www.thedialectcoach.com/
Essay Emporium Student-generated essays on various works. http://www.geocities.com/das_bootz/