QuoteProject
Human language appears to be a unique phenomenon, without significant analogue in the animal world.
Noam Chomsky
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Human language is a distinct capability of humans that does not have a clear counterpart in the animal kingdom.

Noam Chomsky suggests that human language represents a unique trait that sets humans apart from other animals, underscoring the complexity and sophistication of our linguistic abilities. This assertion has profound implications for our understanding of human cognition, communication, and what it means to be human, as it highlights how language shapes our thoughts and interactions in ways that other species do not experience.

Themes

LanguageHumansCommunicationCognitionUniqueness

In practice

Example use cases

In a debate about the evolution of language, this quote can emphasize the complexity of human speech.

More from Noam Chomsky

There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
Noam ChomskyRead
The 'free-floating intellectual' may occupy himself with problems because of their inherent interest and importance, perhaps to little effect.
Noam ChomskyRead
If you're teaching today what you were teaching five years ago, either the field is dead or you are.
Noam ChomskyRead
There are very few people who are going to look into the mirror and say, 'That person I see is a savage monster;' instead, they make up some construction that justifies what they do.
Noam ChomskyRead
The Republican Party has become overwhelmingly so extreme that it's hardly a traditional political party anymore.
Noam ChomskyRead
There is still much debate about whether torture has been effective in eliciting information - the assumption being, apparently, that if it is effective, then it may be justified.
Noam ChomskyRead

Similar quotes

No unemployment insurance can be compared to an alliance between a man and a plot of land.
Henry FordRead
There are no hard distinctions between what is real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false. A thing is not necessarily either true or false; it can be both true and false.
Harold PinterRead
What is a good man? A teacher of a bad man. What is a bad man? A good man's charge?
LaoziRead
The influence of the senses have in men overpowered the thought to the degree that the walls of time and space have come to look solid, real and insurmountable. .. Yet time and space are but inverse measures of the power of the mind. Man is capable of abolishing them both.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead
This England never did, nor never shall, _x000D_ _x000D_ Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror.
William ShakespeareRead
True human goodness, in all its purity and freedom, can come to the fore only when its recipient has no power.
Milan KunderaRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.