Summary/Analysis: Is Language the Key to Human Intelligence? Essay

Thesis: Humans differ from animals because humans have developed a complex language which gives man the ability to store knowledge, communicate complex ideas, and is not a hereditary skill.

In August 2011, Mark Pagel, an evolutionary biologist and a Professor and head of the Evolutionary Biology Group at the University of Reading, gave his “How Language Transformed Humanity”

When looking through animal history, we humans have praised ourselves for our exceptional ability to communicate in an advanced manner. Whether we are listening or speaking, humans have crafted language into a powerful tool that is boundless and flexible against other arts. Moreover, through the perspective of building civilizations, communication has been the foundation of community. As Language is our most advanced form of communication; to what degree of value do we hold it in our society? Throughout the seminars, groups of people explored the history and significance of how we perceive language and the hidden advantages or disadvantages it provides.

Although there is no official language in the United States, the English language is the most widely spoken. Language helps to shape our identities, define and limit our expectations of the world around us and who we are. You might ask yourself, how does our language shape our identities and influence our perceptions of the world? Through language, we are able to make meaning, understand, and define ourselves. We are able to communicate what we feel, our ideas, our hopes, and our dreams with others who can respond to our feelings and thoughts. However, our choice of words cannot always capture what we are feeling to the full extent.

In order to approach the question; the author developed an understanding of the authorship of Charles Darwin that he employed as the foundation with which he was able to further his studies. Because of the understanding of the approach employed, it becomes undisputed that the methodology that was employed to carry out the research was qualitative, making varied comparisons trying to bring out the quality of the content under investigation ("How human language could have evolved from birdsong. (n.d.). The findings of the content of the article show that the reception accorded by the professors in the field of linguistic was positive. This translates to the fact that the research findings made a positive impact in linguistics as it is considered to have its effect in the next five years to come. The conclusion associated with the research question has been narrowed down to the fact that in deed the origins of human language are associated with birdsong and in a broader perspective, the animal kingdom. From the conclusion associated with the content of the article and the reception that the content of the article has from the field of linguistics, the article has proven to be convincing on the arguments that it presented ("How human language could have evolved from birdsong.

1-1. What does the author suggest is the only thing that should really separate us from animals?We're the only species with language, we told ourselves—until gorillas and chimps mastered sign language. We're the only one that uses tools then—but that's if you don't count otters smashing mollusks with rocks or apes stripping leaves from twigs and using them to fish for termites. 2-2. What shows that kids have an innate sense of morality?Morality may be a hard concept to grasp, but we acquire it fast. A preschooler will learn that it's not all right to eat in the classroom, because the teacher says it's not. If the rule is lifted and eating is approved, the child will happily comply. But if the same teacher says it's also O.K. to push another student off a chair, the child hesitates.

article“ When Animals Communicate, They Are Not Using “Language” “, it says “...animals communicate with each other using...sounds, signals, even smells and vibrations...these communication methods are not the same as language. They lack one or more of the many attributes that make up the human language, such as displacement, discreteness, and productivity”. These communication methods are useful to the animals, but aren’t the same as language. They lack the 3 main traits of language which are, as stated in the evidence, displacement, discreteness, and productivity. Animals also lack something in their brain that enables them to learn real language. In paragraph 3, it states “ Many linguists, zoologists, and scientists say...we have something in our brains that enables us to use language in a way that animals never can”. Since animals don’t have this ‘thing’ in their

Social learning is a monumental concept within animal learning. For animals who lack the ability to communicate verbally, they must find other ways to discover food sources, escape predators, and learn acceptable social behaviours. Social Learning involves knowledge that is gained through observing or interacting with another individual or its products (Heyes, 2011). This definition is distinct from teaching as this type of learning does not involve the demonstrator intending to communicate information to the observer (Heyes, 2011). Therefore, social learning can be understood in terms of “copying behaviour” (Laland, 2004). However, copying others is not always a recipe for success (Laland, 2004).

Language is a cognitive function that most of us take for granted. It starts from early on, some say at conception, and it develops in complexity as we get older. It is an essential part of communication and without it its development would be greatly hindered. This natural process requires complex structures and reasoning, the bringing together of sounds and words to develop concrete ideas and thoughts. In this paper we will discuss the components of language and how it relates to cognitive processes.

“Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about.” – Benjamin Lee Whorf

Although, there is no agreed definition of language among linguists, but we can say that language is the most sophisticated way of communication between any two human beings and far more complex than any other system of communication. The ability of acquiring and using languages is one of the properties that differs us as human beings from other species.

Deacon’s special interests include bio-cultural evolution, brain development, and biosemiotics. He has published 2 major books "The Symbolic Species: The Co-Evolution of Language and the Brain” and “Incomplete Nature: How Mind Emerged from Matter” also coauthored several books and articles revolving semiotics. The book I will be mainly focusing on is The Symbolic Species, which tackles on his theory of the co-evolution of language and the brain. He has 3 tasks in this book first, differentiates human mode of reference (symbolic reference), versus the non-symbolic references found in nonhuman species. Second to explain why it may be difficult for nonhuman species to understand this form of symbolic reference, and third how to explain humans overcome the difficult of understanding symbolic references.

Language is as it is because of the functions in which it has evolved in the human species” (Halliday & Matthiessen, 2004)

In today’s society, there are hundreds of different languages and dialects. However, not all of these sprung up at the same time. Just like the rest of human’s traits, they evolved to create language. Primates and other animals are able to communicate but it is not as flexible as the human language. They use sounds and gestures but their “vocabulary” is very limited. When early humans began to walk on two legs, their hands were freed to be able to replicate events creating even more gestures (Corballis, 2009). “An important step toward vocal communication was what cognitive psychologists call the phonological loop, the ability to hear something and remember it” Although this alone is not enough

In the present world, language can be accessible as a physical material in existence where human are both producer and consumer (Gees and Hayes, 2011). Language is also known for being human phenomenon, which has been emphasised by professionals from diverse sector of biology, neuroscience, linguistic and many more. Deacon, T.D (2012) in the video has described language as a tool, which has