[31h]

> We taught Koko the gorilla how to talk

I think you're overstating your case. "although the gorilla learned a large number of signs she never understood grammar or symbolic speech" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_ape_language#Koko

> humans that don't have language

Which humans are those? Language arises pretty spontaneously among humans even if they're deaf or blind - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicaraguan_Sign_Language

Yet no amount of exposure will make a dog or ape understand language.

> There is, literally, a part of the brain that if you shut it off, you lose language.

You mean the entire left hemisphere?

[metaphorm]

> There is, literally, a part of the brain that if you shut it off, you lose language.

> > You mean the entire left hemisphere?

probably not that, that's overkill. there are smaller, more specific areas in the brain directly associated with language faculties. two prominent examples are Broca's Area and Wernicke's Area which are both involved in speech comprehension (but not in control of the physiological apparatus for forming speech sounds).

[andrewflnr]

Um, Wikipedia says Broca's area is involved in speech production. If you just mean the specific details of working the lips, vocal chords, etc, wouldn't that be the cerebellum's job?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broca%27s_area

[metaphorm]

yes, it is involved in the neurological processing of speech production w.r.t to grammar and syntax. that's a separate function from fine control of muscles used to produce speech sounds.