Language: the defining feature of human intelligence

Times Online ^ | November 6, 2008 | Mark Henderson

[Soliton]

Language, according to the American neurobiologist William Calvin, is “the defining feature of human intelligence”.

With due respect to the communication skills of dolphins, chimpanzees, birds and bees, Homo sapiens is the only existing species with the power of speech. It seems to be among the qualities that separates us from other animals, that makes us human.

When the FOXP2 gene and its role in language was first identified in 2001, therefore, it is hardly surprising that scientists immediately began to ask questions about its role in evolution. Might this be a “language gene” that sets humans apart, a passage of DNA that has evolved uniquely in one species?

The answer is both yes and no. At first, research into the gene’s evolution yielded disappointing results. Human FOXP2 was very similar to the version found in mice, with just three changes in DNA spelling. Yet these three changes seem to have been very important.

“We had been thinking, naively, with just three substitutions, that there was nothing interesting about it,” Dr Fisher said. “But what was fascinating was that of these three changes, two of them had occurred after the divergence between humans and chimps. It’s an acceleration of evolution.”

[Soliton]

Excellerated evolution = puctuated equilibrium?

[Soliton]

accelerated!!! not excellerated! (sheesh) evolution = puctuated equilibrium?

[amchugh]

*punctuated*

[Soliton]

Eye seme to hve a bad kace of spelin tonite

[cgbg]

For certain folks (who don't need to be named in these parts) the purpose of language is deception.

[The KG9 Kid]

I dunno. I had a Siamese cat that used to come up to me and meow in full sentences about what was going on around the house — “The kitten took a crap in the laundry room, our water dish needs refreshing and not just refilling, there was a bug crawling up the wall but I killed it, us cats want wet food frfom the can, and it’s cold so do that thing you do to turn on that thing that makes our fur warm.”

[JoeProBono]

I had a Boxer that could hum The National Anthem

[Coyoteman]

Molecular techniques then revealed that these changes occurred around 200,000 years ago — at just the point at which modern humans were evolving. This has led to much speculation about whether FOXP2 is a “gene for speech” — particularly given that people with major mutations, like the KE family, have major language defects.

Cool!

The genetic change for the development of language is now being placed about the time modern humans developed as well.

I was never comfortable with that 50,000-60,000 estimate for language development.

[Soliton]

consider gene splicing it into a chimp to find out what they really think!

[Daffynition]

When words cease being information,
or at least, entertainment,
they become drug-like.

[SunkenCiv]

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