Hacker News Reader

It's a claim one way or the other, isn't it?

These sounds are thought to be language

These sounds are not thought to be language

The default position ought to be "we're not sure if it's language or not", but then why are people so surprised when they find out it is?

View on HN

A scientist would assert we have no evidence that they this is a language, but here is what we do know. Here is how it is like a language here is how it is not like a language, this is what we need to measure/prove that it is a language.

Agreed. Even in physics there are many things we dont know. We dont just say "we cant prove it so its not true and were not going to consider otherwise".

It isn't true that scientists refuse to consider the possibility of other animals having language.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com