Text vs. Speech

"For my defense, I want to point out that Chinese is listed as language on Google Translate."

And since Google Translate doesn't do audio, it doesn't have to deal with the fact that two different languages share a writing system.

Of course this begs the question of whether the writing IS a language it its own right.

Many linguists argue that a notational system for visually recording speech is no more language that a musical score is music or that a dance score is dance. I side with the people who note all the differences between the writing of language and the act of speaking ( even with hands. )

Its sometimes possible to gain fluency in the writing while still not being able to speak or understand the spoken tongue. But if I ask, "what's your language?," I am asking about speech.

Dante