There's a thought here that part of our fundamental intelligence is cultural, and without that language, our brains are seriously incomplete.
What is even more amazing (and somewhat relieving in its robustness) is that human communities develop language spontaneously. There's the famous case of a school of deaf children in Nicarangua, who, lacking teachers, spontaneously developed their own language. Apparently, with complex grammar and so on. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicaraguan_Sign_Language I find this profoundly hopeful, in what it shows about people. Also http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2010/06/2... (via sp332's link)
Even in this article, there is mentioned "homesign" or "kitchensign", though I imagine it is very limited, and would tend to lack abstractions, complex grammar and so on, being used by a small (ie family) group, for domestic purposes, and while the child is very young.
What is even more amazing (and somewhat relieving in its robustness) is that human communities develop language spontaneously. There's the famous case of a school of deaf children in Nicarangua, who, lacking teachers, spontaneously developed their own language. Apparently, with complex grammar and so on. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicaraguan_Sign_Language I find this profoundly hopeful, in what it shows about people. Also http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2010/06/2... (via sp332's link)
Even in this article, there is mentioned "homesign" or "kitchensign", though I imagine it is very limited, and would tend to lack abstractions, complex grammar and so on, being used by a small (ie family) group, for domestic purposes, and while the child is very young.