What's Most Important to Understanding Language

I think that vocabulary and syntax are the most important in understanding language. Sounds do play a key role, but they are easier to become accustomed to if they differ from what one normally hears. This is why someone with a different accent, meaning that their pronunciation differs, is eventually easily understood by the people around them after a period of adjustment.

On the other hand, if vocabulary differs, the entire meaning of certain phrases is lost. For example, when a drinking fountain is referred to as a "bubbler," (in Wisconsin, for example) there is little likelihood that someone from outside the community would instinctively understand. There is a large potential for miscommunication in these cases, and the differences in vocabulary can be quite significant over just a short geographic distance. Furthermore, most people are extremely surprised to hear of a different word for something they have called by a particular word for their entire lives; the instinct is to characterize it as "weird" because our own vocabulary is so integral to the way we speak.

Syntax too matters a lot. The way we put sentences together is largely predetermined, with a standard set-up in English that is not often changed. Syntax does not vary as much geographically, as vocabulary can, but it often varies based on social class or education. While certain flexibility exists, a radical change in syntax is usually associated with a specific dialect and can occasionally carry stigma. Using different syntax can be considered "uneducated" or "lower class," and while this is not a fair judgment, it is a common one in today's society. Unlike other European languages, there is no central institute that mandates correct syntax and vocabulary for English, which allows for greater flexibility in theory, but social stigma and certain problems of understanding mean that there is a certain rigidity that must be adhered to if we want to understand each other.

Although sounds are easy to adjust to, it's much more difficult to adjust to different ways of speaking, that is, the vocabulary and syntax. Without standard vocabulary and syntax, the problems of understanding are far deeper than merely not understanding how someone is saying something. This is why I believe that these two aspects are the more important for language than sounds.