Language: A Genetic Gamble?
A crucial aspect by which humans differ from all the other species on this Earth is our ability to communicate with each other through the use of language. A case can be made that many species of birds do possess something akin to a language with observed differences in their vocalisations within population groups of the same species, yet most of us will readily agree that humans have developed the tool of language to its extreme form and we are the experts in the use of language to meet our ends; and we are the undisputed champions of linguistic ability. Language has allowed us to convey abstract thoughts and ideas from our heads to other people and to essentially create and manage large collectives of like minded humans to achieve our goals. Traditionally the ability to grasp and use multiple languages has been considered a mark of great intellect with many eminent intellectuals themselves being celebrated polyglots. The ability to speak and to communicate such complex constructs comes naturally to most of us and we seldom spare a though as to this wonderful ability bestowed upon humanity.
You can well imagine the surprise I felt when while reading a book on anthropology I found a reference to a gene in our chromosome that is suspected to be the reason for our linguistic abilities. The gene is called FOXP2 gene, short for Forkhead box Protein P2. This gene was first identified in 1998 as being the genetic cause if a speech disorder in British family. The FOXP2 gene is also found in many different species in the animal kingdom such as birds, bats, primates and non-primates. This gene is observed to have an effect on mimicry by birds, echolocation by bats and vocalisations of mice. Experiments in which modified FOXP2 gene was introduced in songbirds have shown that it impacts the ability of the songbirds to learn and vocalise various sounds. In the hominins, the FOXP2 gene is found to be present in both humans and Neanderthals, though each species have differences in the gene.
With such a strong correlation between this gene and language learning abilities, it behooves the question that whether our species’ surprising ability in the linguistics department is the result of random mutation in the gene that was selected naturally, and which allowed our ancestors to fully develop and utilise language as tool for survival and whether if this chance mutation had not taken place or not selected we would have still been a species unable to enjoy this beautiful gift.
It is posited that the pre-eminent position of our species in this planet is due to our ability to work in huge groups to achieve our common goals. Without the use of language, managing and directing such complex operations through a wide swathe of space and time is nigh impossible. A genetic gamble in which we humans seem to have hit the jackpot may be one of the reasons why that across all terrestrial biomes humans have managed to spread and thrive.
It too makes me really wonder that whether my inability to grasp the simplest concepts of grammar during my school days may also conveniently be blamed on the genes that I inherited, thus absolving me from the charge of being plain old lazy.
(The above piece is inspired from a phrase in the book The Incredible Human Journey by Alice Roberts.)
