The human world, or at least my area of it, is filled with talk, speech, human spoken language. If I felt the need, I can find myself a steady stream of speech for all my waking hours. I could do so during my sleeping hours, too. Scientists and historians say that humans existed as more or less recognizable humans for the last 100,000 to 200,000 years but that spoken language may only developed more or less fully in the latter part of the period.
From Wikipedia on the origin of langauge: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_language
The time range for the evolution of language and/or its anatomical prerequisites extends, at least in principle, from the phylogenetic divergence of Homo (2.3 to 2.4 million years ago) from Pan (5 to 6 million years ago) to the emergence of full behavioral modernity some 150,000 - 50,000 years ago. Few dispute that Australopithecus probably lacked vocal communication significantly more sophisticated than that of great apes in general,[31] but scholarly opinions vary as to the developments since the appearance of Homo some 2.5 million years ago. Some scholars assume the development of primitive language-like systems (proto-language) as early as Homo habilis, while others place the development of symbolic communication only with Homo erectus (1.8 million years ago) or Homo heidelbergensis (0.6 million years ago) and the development of language proper with Homo sapiens less than 200,000 years ago.
chart showing what hearing ranges include which language sounds:
http://www.phonak.com/com/b2c/en/hearing/understanding_hearingloss/types_of_hearing_loss.html
As a professor, I have had many hours in a classroom in which few of the students had opportunity or interest in speaking. So, I am accustomed to grasping the difference between a person's silence and that person's lack of understanding. Speech can certainly be the most helpful thing there is to understand what another is thinking and feeling but there are other tools. Since silence between people provides a chance for talk, it is easy for that chance to slide into feeling like an obligation. When we have silence, we can wonder if we should be talking. Does the other person find the silence oppressive?
Being silent together is a great way of tasting the vibes of each other's presence. Being able to trust that silence is ok helps friendships and relationships. Zen practice, mindfulness meditation and Quaker practice all call on the value of silence. Of course, in all the crime shows, people are forever asserting that they will not speak until they see their lawyer and falling for expert prodding or insults or frightening statements that lure them into speech.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
