Aphasia

Wernicke’s aphasia. I came across this term after reading an article on Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark. You know, I distinctly remember being 4 or 5 years old and not being able to talk. I could hear others speaking words, but of the words themselves, I could not make any sense of.

Nevertheless, I tried to contribute to the on-going conversation, but the result was only verbal gibberish. I knew very well, even at the age of 5, that what I was saying was complete gibberish, and yet, the "words" came out anyway.

But I wasn't frustrated, because I was experimenting with learning how to talk, even if what I said was complete nonsense.

It's fascinating. That you did know what you wanted to say, and the words were invisibly in your minds and you could sense the presence of the words even though you could not spell them.

But you could not figure out how to say those words that were floating around in your mind.

Perhaps from this personal Gedanken (literally!), it does seem to prove that we humans do have an intrinsic capacity and facility for language. It's just that this innate language ability has to be initially booted up and then primed and boosted by the use of beginner words. Just like how an adjuvant boosts the immune system.

It's so amazing! Thank God for the gift of language. :D