Vocalized communication is called "speech." When studied, speech is broken down into structured pieces such as sentences, words and phones. Phones, also called segments, are distinct units of sound that bear significance when combined in specific combinations. Phones may be learned in two ways: as individual units or in combination as a word. Children begin learning phones and words within the first year of life. Overtime the vocal cords, tongue and other articulates develop in response to the phones learned and used. This is part of the reason why it is difficult to mimic a spoken language you did not learn as a child--your body is set-up to produce a different set of sounds. There are many aspects of sound that are studied in linguistics. The study of speech production is phonetics, pragmatics is the study of how meaningful sounds are used in social activities and phonology examines the association between sounds and meanings.
Gestures and facial expression are often seen as adjuncts to spoken communication. However, gestures may also constitute an independent language, known as sign language. Gestures may be conscious motions to indicate objects that are physical, or patterns of movement that are learned and associated with words. For example, glaring and shaking your fist while yelling angrily is a gesture. The gestures, both glaring and shaking the fist, are accepted within American culture as indications of anger and frustration. By performing these motions the speaker enhances the spoken word.
Written language is a system of physical markers that indicate the existence of unique items and the relationships between them. Human beings are the only animals to have developed a written language. Early examples of written language are pictorial in nature and rely on simplified likenesses of objects and individuals to tell a story. Modern writing has developed in many directions since. With some, such as the Roman alphabet, no longer bearing any resemblance to their pictorial origins. Others, such as the Han characters of Chinese, still resemble traditional, illustrated characters. The advantage of written language is its ability to withstand time. Written language makes it possible to carry ancient stories into the modern day, however those tales often develop new significance when recovered by descendants.