People don't give the actuality of language the weight it deserves, I feel. Words are a way of taking your thoughts, the very makeup of your self, and giving them to another; putting your thoughts in the mind of someone else. They are not a perfect method of course, as there is plenty of scope for mutation and corruption between your mind and that of the listener. But that doesn't change the essence of what language is. Spoken aloud though, the thought dies quickly, if not picked up.