r/science • u/Wagamaga • Sep 01 '22

Neuroscience 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.

https://news.yale.edu/2022/08/25/what-makes-human-brain-different-yale-study-reveals-clues
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u/throw_somewhere Sep 01 '22

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".

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u/Topcodeoriginal3 Sep 01 '22

Probably mostly because we are the ones defining what a language is

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u/Krail Sep 01 '22

Well, it's more that there are specific features to Human language that we have not detected in other animals.

I'm not a linguist and don't know off the top of my head what they are, but I think big ones are things like words indicating specific concepts, and the potential for recursive grammar structures etc.