Scribd
Upload
474 views

Flexibility of Human Language

An essay about the flexibility of the human language and how syntax and our ability to learn affects it

Uploaded by

Rob Roy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
474 views

Flexibility of Human Language

An essay about the flexibility of the human language and how syntax and our ability to learn affects it

Uploaded by

Rob Roy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Rob Roy

Big History 5th hour

INVESTIGATION 6

Humans have ruled the earth for what seems to be an eternity and language is one of

the many characteristics they hold which allows them to be supreme to other animals. There is

a great difference between language and communication in all animals. All animals have some

sort of way to communicate whether it be calls or songs or even dancing, but language is

something that sets humans apart from all the rest because no other animal can speak a

language. Language makes humans different from other animals because we learn languages

different, the human language is flexible and the human language has a complex syntax.

Human language sets us apart from other animals because we learn it much faster and

simplistic. over the past 30 or so years, humans have been trying to teach primates to speak a

language with much fail and little success. The article “Language Development in Chimpanzees

and Human Children” Washoe is just one case of primates a learning sign language and he

learned 250 american sign language signs throughout his 42 year life (Guy Deutscher) when a

child of six years old can use over 2,300 words and understand 20,000-24,000 words (Nicole

Sax, Erin Weston, Stephen Stahl, Nicole Lilenthal). There is a significant difference between

humans and language and primates and language.

The human language is flexible and you can create the same sentence millions of ways.

In “The Flexibility of Human Language” by Stephen Pinker, he explains how a person can

complete a sentence over a hundred million trillion ways. There is almost an infinite way of

coming up with the same sentence. This is what sets our human language apart from any other
animal. Other animals just have the same calls and clearly isn’t as diverse as our human

language.

Humans have a special complex syntax holding only to us. In “Human Language is

Different from Animal Communication” by James R. Hurford, he elaborates on the syntax

meaning of words. James describes how “No other animal communication system involves

learning all the symbols in each individual’s lifetime, and certainty not in such vast numbers.”

Our human language is much more diverse system than any animals. Our language is

completely learned from an early point in time when calls and songs of animals are perceived to

be natural (James Hurford). This article clearly supports the view human language is different

from animal communication.

All of these articles support how human language is completely different from animal

communication because humans learn the language differently, the human language can be

changed, and human language has a special syntax. Humans learn language much faster than

when primates are taught language. The human language is very flexible and many new words

are made everyday. Human language has a complex syntax and we learn the langauge from a

very early age. These points clearly show human language makes us different from other

animals.

You might also like