Language

title Understanding Language
description An episode of Grey Matters. "Language is inarguably the hallmark of humanity. The countless and constant ways in which humans use language are astounding. Scientists debate whether the ability to communicate with high degrees of complexity is the predecessor or the consequence of the thinking ability that distinguishes the human species from other animals. In this lesson, Professor Jeffrey Elman explains what aspects of communication humans share with other animals. As he reviews the research and explains the current theories, two main themes are striking:
1. The human ability to communicate through language is an extremely unique, highly diversified result of a coordinated collaboration amongst many specialized functions of the brain; and
2. Scientific research and the development of scientific theories is progressive, involving collaboration among many specialized scientists."
producer UCTV: UCSD-TV
featuring Jeff Elman
format Real Media
date unknown
length 00:59:15
link http://www.ucsd.tv/greymatters/lesson-language.asp

Tags: webcast brain neurolinguistics language primates