http://drelmo.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] drelmo.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] james_davis_nicoll 2009-01-08 08:10 pm (UTC)

Human language is our birdsong.

According to Pinker (IIRC), the loquacious and the clever-talking are considered attractive independent of culture, so it's not just an analogy; human language is actually equivalent to birdsong in its demonstration of fitness and desirability.

Humans also have brainware with the dedicated purpose of recognizing and distinguishing faces. It's so dominant that we see faces in everything from car grills to pieces of toast. So, compared to peacocks and macaws, we may not be objectively very display-oriented, but as far as the ability to distinguish and the effort we put into distinguishing go, we are very easy to distinguish.

Post a comment in response:

(will be screened)
(will be screened if not validated)
If you don't have an account you can create one now.
HTML doesn't work in the subject.
More info about formatting

If you are unable to use this captcha for any reason, please contact us by email at support@dreamwidth.org