Bring Your Brain to Work

6

Communicating

One thing that distinguishes humans from the other species on Earth is our ability to communicate in a variety of ways. Most animals communicate with other members of their species—and sometimes with potential predators or prey. They have mechanisms to attract mates, warn potential enemies, or signal danger. They may communicate through sounds, movements, or even chemical trails.

But humans have a complex language that allows us to add new words at will to name objects, actions, and concepts as our information environment changes. We are skilled at metaphor and analogy, permitting us to extend the meanings of words to cover new situations. We have developed a variety of technologies for communicating with one another even when ...