Language. A method to converting and conveying information. There are many, but they are all analogous. But what if one were to not know any language and then attempted to learn?
The main issue at hand is obviously the concept. For someone who does not know anything about verbs, it is rather difficult to explain even simple things such as dying. Teaching nouns is generally pretty easy, as long as one confines oneself to fruits and cheeses. The differences between air, space and outer space would be lost.
The problem is very similar to decoding messages written in a foreign language. Sure, there are a few recognizable patterns, but for there to be meaning, one has to look at the context around the unknown. If you still can't imagine it, think of the first time you looked at a Russian text.
This is precisely the problem computers have nowadays. The definitions are generally hard-coded into their systems, parts of their code. Teaching such a concept from zero would be rather difficult and time-consuming. And obviously impractical. So now they have certain words they listen for and basically guess what the input meant. Usually they guess right as most of the communication with computers is in English and English happens to be a simple language. The fact that the programming languages used are often based on English doesn't exactly hurt, either.
And then you wonder how the Daleks learned English.
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