Written Communication

• Writing is perhaps the clearest instance of language as a separate concept to communication. The creation of the first alphabets, probably in Mesopotamia around 3300 BC, according to the website Ancient Scripts, allowed language to become universalized. By understanding the particular syntactical rules which governed a particular arrangement of written shapes, it became possible for highly-complex communication to take place between peoples from very different parts of the world. Written language, as a form of complex code, vastly increased humanity's ability to communicate.
  
  

Non-verbal Communication

• Non-verbal communication or "body language" might seem to blur the boundary between language as a strictly governed code and communication as the ultimate aim. Facial expressions, hand gestures, posture and many other physical expressions are often fairly universal in application, transcending regional written and spoken languages. However, cultural differences can be huge even in non-verbal communication. Tribal greeting dances in New Zealand might be offensive in the UK. Crossing your legs and showing the soles of your feet in America wouldn't cause much alarm, while in Libya it's considered extremely rude. There is an implicit code in non-verbal communication just as strong as in more overt forms of language.
  
  

Speech

• Oral communication marries the rigorous code of written language to the hidden complexity of para-language, e.g. intonation, rhythm, emotion and, to a certain extent, body language. In many western European languages when asking a question it's often customary to raise the pitch of the voice towards the end of the sentence. The successful communication of sarcasm relies on the intonation and emotion of speech to belie the semantic content, for example saying "You're so funny" with a straight face and a bored voice.
  
  

Visual Communication

• Visual stimuli often circumvent the rules of language to communicate more directly, at a more instinctive level. An advertisement for a charity might use the image of a crying child to engender the protective instincts and thus the sympathy of the viewer. Particular colors can evoke certain emotions, greens and blues are often calming while reds and oranges are exciting. However, certain images are a more culturally encoded and can be viewed as a form of language. A picture or sculpture of a raven might communicate evil or death to Europeans but impute wisdom and luck to Native Americans.