Tanvi Vidyala, Week #9: Language, A Powerful Tool in Human Cognition
For as long as the Earth has spun, there has only been one species known to demonstrate such complexity in their communication as humans have through the creation of language. Language is a universal trait seen in every civilization and every culture alike. Spoken language has paved the way for written language, reading, and every element of how we learn and progress as a species. So what exactly makes humans special in their ability to use language in communication? None of our close relatives such as chimpanzees and bonobos hold this unique trait. Many animals can understand a variety of words when they hear them yet only humans are able to respond back. Recent developments in neuroscience and psychology just may be able to answer that.
One part of what enables us to be able to speak and understand language is our biology. Evolution has tailor made our brains, lungs, and vocal chords to support it. Our bodies have exceptional control over transferring air from the lungs to our larynxes to our mouths where we can create a variety of different sounds. Each of these phonetic sounds (called “phonemes”) which we can piece together. And voila! We have language
Children learn language at a very young age through imitation in a process called observational learning. However if they do not learn it as children they will never be able to learn it. A case from the 70s of a girl codenamed “Genie” served as a case study to develop this concept. Essentially Genie spent most of her early childhood in isolation because of her abusive parents. She was unable to listen to proper conversation and find words to imitate and so sadly when authorities found her in her early teens she was unable to speak a word. Even as she got older despite the time she spent with speech therapists in various institutions and her good IQ she was never able to learn how to speak and understand language normally. Like many other aspects of development the first five years are crucial to language throughout life.
Seeing this, it would make sense how age also matters in how easily someone can learn a new language. At a young age the brain’s plasticity (or ability to change) is high. Though it isn’t impossible to learn a language to fluency after early childhood, it is notably more difficult. I can remember a language I’ve learned to understand when I was four years old and not one I’ve SPENT four years learning
Nevertheless, language is fascinating and i’ve always been interested in its intersection with neuroscience, anthropology, and other fields. I’ve always believed that language is the base of all learning and that’s precisely why I’m in this class. AP English Languagr and Composition. Badumtsssh
Hi Tanvi! The opening of your blog has caught my attention immediately as I have always wanted to learn about this process of observational learning and how children pick up the vocabulary of a language at such a quick speed. Although I have learn of this concept earlier, I was really fascinated to learn that this process is only imitable during the first five years of their life. I have also heard that many children who are away from their parents during the early stages of their development period, they are to spend more time with various speech therapists and doctors with different specialties to make up for the loss in learning; however, the naturality of the manner in which they pick up that language initially cannot be replaced. The natural process through which they develop this ability is unattainable otherwise because that is how the human brain functions. The most surprising fact I have gained from reading your blog was that age plays such a big role in our ability to grasp concepts at a much faster rate. Thank you for your blog and I hope to hear about more insightful topics from you moving forward!
ReplyDeleteFELLAS SORRY SOMETHING HAPPENED TO MY ACCOUNT AND THIS STAYED IN THE DRAFTS FOR SOME REASON.
ReplyDeleteHi Tanvi, I really enjoyed reading your blog. I have always wondered if animals can communicate with each other. I remember in elementary school, we learned that bees communicate by dancing. Other species also communicate with each other in distinct ways using their body language. However, recent studies have also suggested that certain animals like songbirds and whales can talk to each other, although their language is not as developed as the human language. I wonder if one day humans and animals will be able to communicate with one another. In any case, it was fascinating to learn about what enables humans to communicate. I definitely agree that observational learning is the most effective way to learn a language and learn how to speak in general, and children are much better at picking up a language. Like you, I also learned two languages as a child, that I can now fluently speak and understand; however, although I took Spanish for three years, I still struggle with saying even basic sentences. The “Genie”case you told us about was very heartbreaking, and I sincerely hope that one day neuroscience will evolve to the point where doctors and therapists can help adults learn how to speak.
ReplyDeleteHi Tanvi, while I don't know a lot about neuroscience or biology, I definitely agree that it's interesting to look at language through a scientific aspect. I never knew that humans were the only species to use language in communication; I thought most animals use language to communicate, so that's definitely something new I learnt. What you said in the last part definitely hit home. I always fear that I'm running out of time to pick up my mother-tongue because my parents always tell me that it will be harder when I get older. Hopefully during the summer, I'll try to take some lessons. Thank you for your post, and I look forward to reading your next one!
ReplyDeleteHello Tanvi, I found your blog to be really interesting. It always interests me that all of the human characteristics that are unique to us today can be traced back to one thing: evolution. It is weird to think about the fact that a lot of what we are able to do today we could not have done in the past. However, this ability developed gradually over time. I also wonder why many of the traits that humans have did not evolute the same way in other species.
ReplyDeleteHey Tanvi, it makes a lot of sense that you can learn things when you are especially young as understanding the world around you is literally all you can do, and thus why observing the languages spoken around you becomes easier to grasp. Thus, learning more languages and being exposed to those levels of understanding as a child would be significantly more effective than trying to pick up a language later on in your life. Sometimes I'd like to be fluent in various different languages, but reflecting on my time learning French in school it seems like the time commitment to that would be immense and kind of ridiculous. However, if it were as easy as picking up a language when I was a child, it may be a lot more appealing to me.
ReplyDelete