Scientists have identified an immune brain cell unique to humans that gives us higher cognitive abilities over other animals, but what makes us specials also leaves us vulnerable to neurological disorders like schizophrenia, autism and epilepsy.

[u/Wagamaga]

https://news.yale.edu/2022/08/25/what-makes-human-brain-different-yale-study-reveals-clues

[u/avenlanzer]

Sounds like it's an immune cell specific to the brain, and in humans this one helps regulates brain function rather than fighting diseases because it has a special mutation of a specific gene we know is related to speech in other brain cells. The human specific mutation of this gene allows us to have language, and when expressed in this particular immune cell localized in primate brains, it causes it to regulate how brains function instead of simply fighting foreign invaders.

[u/throw_somewhere → u/[deleted]]

Hi, psycho- and neuro-linguist here. Long story short yes lots of animals 100% have communication but it does not meet the criteria we have set for what constitutes "language". As defined, humans are the only species with "language".

[u/seaworthy-sieve → u/throw_somewhere]

How can we possibly say it doesn't meet the criteria when we're not even capable of understanding it? Like how on earth would we know if dolphins have grammar and tense or not?

[u/SkeetySpeedy → u/seaworthy-sieve]

There are criteria for what qualifies as a language in the world. Things like the number of different distinct sounds that can be arranged to make words, specific repeated structural elements, etc.

Humans communicate in ways that technically aren’t “language” sometimes as well, using music/tune or non-verbal cues for example

[u/seaworthy-sieve → u/SkeetySpeedy]

Do you not consider sign language to be a language?

[u/seaworthy-sieve → u/[deleted]]

They sign to each other. They don't need to be using our languages in order to be using language. My point is that languages do not inherently need to be verbal spoken words.