“Does Language Make Humans Different?” » Although most animals can communicate in some way (verbal or non-verbal), humans can do so verbally with unprecedented precision and efficiency. While there are millions of species of animals capable of communicating. Animals can also communicate with noises and body language, but the reason humans are different lies in our ability to contextualize the situation we find ourselves in. Songbirds communicate verbally using their different songs to communicate what they want. Chirping is normally a warning or display of dominance, while “kaa”ing is a sign of fear. They use their songs primarily (but not limited to) for mating calls. They instinctively know these calls and songs. “Bird calls consist of one or more short notes. These cries seem to be an instinctive response to danger, nesting, gathering and some other basic situations” (Text 3). With this in mind, bird calls are nothing like human language, with birds only communicating in a few situations, while humans can speak with empathy and context. This understanding of bird calls to human language shows that language is completely unique to humans. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay As we get closer to understanding communication between animals, we turn to chimpanzees. As our closest relations, much research has been devoted to animal language using monkeys. One of the most notable studies was conducted by Savage-Rumbaugh who taught a bonobo chimpanzee, “Kanzi,” to use a form of sign language. Savage-Rumbaugh claimed that Kanzi's language skills using a 256-symbol keyboard were equivalent to those of a two-and-a-half year old, but as Zanzi grew, his language abilities did not increase significantly, so that of a human child's language ability would increase rapidly with age. This evidence suggests that there is a limit to a primate's ability to acquire or develop language. “With these and other experiments on ape language,” says Savage-Rumbaugh, “the mythology of human uniqueness is called into question. If apes can learn language, which we once thought [was] unique to humans, this suggests that this ability is not innate only to us” (Text 07). This passage suggests that the uniqueness of language for telling others what you think only exists in humans, due to the fact that Monkey Brian's has not improved over time. Brain areas such as Broca's appear to have evolved in humans as the language department where we understand language, while in other species the corresponding areas control actions such as arm and head movements. the non-verbal mouth and vocal tracts of humans and apes. differ, affecting the sounds that monkeys are able to make in their communication efforts. Language makes humans different in that our language is precise and efficient. Many other animals can communicate, but not in this way. Human language is by far the most advanced and this diversity of vocabulary has accumulated; it has been built over time and is not an instinctive thing. Language makes us human.