Ask a Scientist [topic: language] January 16, 2008

Topic: Where Did Language Come From?

Of all the features often proposed for distinguishing humans from the other animals — bipedalism, tool making — it's language that seems to be the most compelling difference between us and them. Even with the disputed definitions of what exactly makes communication among members of a species a "language," there is clearly something unique about the robust, versatile, complex and innovative way we humans transmit ideas and information to one another. The question that neurologist and anthropologist Terry Deacon attempts to answer is one every child has wondered: why can't animals talk? Deacon's research investigates the differences between the brain anatomy and chemistry of humans and that of the other primates, how those differences evolved, and what it all may tell us about the origins of our uniquely human cognitive and language abilities.

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