Language and Cognition

One of the current theories regarding the relationship of the brain and cognition to language is that expressed by Terrence Deacon in a 1992 discussion. According to Deacon (1992), the brain and human language did not develop separately from each other, but essentially coevolved. In other words, the brain needed language to develop fully, while language needed certain cognitive abilities in order to become something separate from other species' communication systems. Thus, they are inseparable, which is one resolution of the discussion about the category to which animal communication systems belong. Language is a function of the human brain and the human brain needs language in order to develop its complexity.

Burling, too, supported this position, noting that language and the human mind are independent. According to him, it is language that makes our minds different from those of other animals, and the use of language continues to encourage our mind to evolve further capacity and c

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roviding the route by which language developed. Instead, human gesturecall systems remain quite similar to their origins and similar to those of other primates, and other species. In other words, the gesturecall systems of humans show little evidence of having evolved beyond the primate systems or having served as the foundation for the emergence of language. He contended that it is more reasonable to assume what Jerison assumed, that language was invented as a tool for thought, but turned out to be important for communication efforts also. Yet, it is as a tool for thought that it remains fundamental to human evolution, human being, and human culture. For example, Gibson et al. (1993) discussed the contribution of language and cognition to the development of the fundamentally human reliance on technology. While other species use rudimentary forms of tools, only human beings have developed such an intricate tooldependent culture. This, according to many of the authors contributing to this overview, is directly attributable to the difference in the human brain which is reciprocally related to the use of language. But the emergence of language from a developing brain is not the end of the story. Again, the relationship
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1492
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)