Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

The First Nature of Language

Ruiying QiBeijing Language and Culture University*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

The first nature of language function is often considered to be communication. But with the rise of cognitive linguistics, whether the primary function of language is externalized communication or internalized thinking has been re-examined. This paper focused on what is the first function of language, and argued that the thinking function should remain the top priority. Based on theories of generative grammar from Noam Chomsky, it redefines the key concepts of language, thinking, and communication, discusses the superiority of language for thinking and the shortcomings of language for communication, and reveals the direction of language evolution by natural selection, and compile a series of evidence to justify the top status of thinking function by comparing the common people’s thinking ability and the auditory disabled’s thinking ability. Besides, another possible communicative pattern, direct brain-to-brain communication (DBBC) was also introduced to prove there might emerge a better way for communication. It is hoped that this will paint a possible picture of the development of language function science and provide an organic extension for the subsequent discovery of language function. At the end the paper finds out the first nature of thinking is plausible and tangible, conforming to the evolutionary tendency of human language. More researches are expected to provide more direct proofs approving the arguments.

Keywords: language function; thinking; communication; natural selection
Published: October 31, 2023
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/7/20230805
Volume: CHR Vol.7
pp. 85-92
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