Here is a basic take from a behavioural perspective. Humans and certain animals have the capacity to learn gestures and vocalisations. When these are followed by favourable consequences the rate of these gestures and vocalisations increase. Monkey signed, got marijuana, favourable result for the monkey, so he does it again. Technically he is communicating.

What we consider language is a little more complicated. These gestures and utterances above still happen but it is our ability to relate them to other stimuli, utterances and gestures. Monkey learns that the sign language gets the marijuana. He might not relate the marijuana back to the sign language. If the marijuana is presented first he probably won't produce the sign. That takes a higher level of cognitive ability which comes very easy to humans.

There is an even higher level of cognitive ability though, that usually presents first in young children with typical development. Take our monkey. Introduce a different sign for marijuana. Teach that sign to the monkey by giving him marijuana. So now he can do either sign for marijuana. The monkey will never derive that the two signs are the same. He won't relate the fact that both signs produce the same result.

In humans for example, we are thought the spoken word dog is the same as the picture of a dog. We learn that if spoken dog is equal to picture of dog, then picture of dog is equal to spoken. Our brain does this for us. Fairly simple.

Secondly, we also thought separately that the written word dog is the same as a picture of a dog and out brain does the work to reverse this and equate the picture to the written word.

Now here is the thing humans can do and hasn't been observed in animals. The human brain does the work to realise that the written word dog and spoken word dog are the same without them ever being thought beside eachother. Your brain did the work. This ability to learn quickly through relations allows for rapid language acquisition. Here is a basic take from a behavioural perspective. Humans and certain animals have the capacity to learn gestures and vocalisations. When these are followed by favourable consequences the rate of these gestures and vocalisations increase. Monkey signed, got marijuana, favourable result for the monkey, so he does it again. Technically he is communicating.

What we consider language is a little more complicated. These gestures and utterances above still happen but it is our ability to relate them to other stimuli, utterances and gestures. Monkey learns that the sign language gets the marijuana. He might not relate the marijuana back to the sign language. If the marijuana is presented first he probably won't produce the sign. That takes a higher level of cognitive ability which comes very easy to humans.

There is an even higher level of cognitive ability though, that usually presents first in young children with typical development. Take our monkey. Introduce a different sign for marijuana. Teach that sign to the monkey by giving him marijuana. So now he can do either sign for marijuana. The monkey will never derive that the two signs are the same. He won't relate the fact that both signs produce the same result.

In humans for example, we are taught the spoken word dog is the same as the picture of a dog. We learn that if spoken dog is equal to picture of dog, then picture of dog is equal to spoken. Our brain does this for us. Fairly simple.

Secondly, we also taught separately that the written word dog is the same as a picture of a dog and out brain does the work to reverse this and equate the picture to the written word.

Now here is the thing humans can do and hasn't been observed in animals. The human brain does the work to realise that the written word dog and spoken word dog are the same without them ever being taught beside eachother. Your brain did the work. This ability to learn quickly through relations allows for rapid language acquisition.

This stuff is relatively new. It's called relational frame theory.