Chromosomes. Sex. Grasshoppers. "Pick me up, Mommy."This is an odd list, except in the eye of evolution. For in the major developments in the history of life, the ability to say, "Pick me up, Mommy" features prominently along with the emergence of genes, sexual reproduction, and multicellular organisms. On a smaller but no less wondrous scale, the ability to speak opens one mind to another. Babies announce their arrival with a loud cry, but it is their first words that launch the journey of a lifetime.
Charles Yang, The Infinite Gift: How Children Learn and Unlearn the Languages of the World
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