I was thinking about something the other day & started wondering whether it’s possible to hold a thought without language. You’d think not, but presumably it’s what our distant ancestors did at some point. Obviously we don’t have direct evidence of how people thought during that period. However, based on our current scientific understanding, here are some insights into pre-linguistic cognition:
Prelinguistic Thought: Before the development of fully-fledged language, human ancestors likely had more basic forms of cognition & communication.
This may have included things like:
Nonverbal communication through gestures, facial expressions, & vocalizations.
Rudimentary problem-solving & tool use based on sensory perception & basic reasoning: ie the ability to perceive the world through the senses & use that information to solve basic problems & create simple tools. This more immediate, sensory-based cognition likely preceded the development of abstract, language-based thinking.
Mental representations of the world through images, sounds, & other sensory impressions: In the absence of language, people may have formed mental models of their environment & experiences primarily through nonverbal, sensory-based representations. These could include visual images, sounds, smells, & other perceptual information. This would have formed the foundation for the development of more complex, symbolic thought.
Simple forms of memory, planning, & social coordination: Even without language, early humans likely had basic memory & planning abilities to navigate their environment & coordinate with others. This could involve remembering the locations of resources, anticipating future needs & cooperating in simple social groups. These cognitive capacities laid the groundwork for the more advanced memory, planning, & social cognition that later emerged with language.
The Gradual Evolution of Language: Language is believed to have evolved gradually over thousands of years, building upon more primitive communication systems. The transition from prelinguistic thought to language-based cognition was likely a slow, incremental process.
The Role of Mirror Neurons: Some researchers hypothesize that the discovery of mirror neurons in the brain – neurons that fire both when an action is performed & when it is observed – may have played a key role in the development of language & shared understanding between individuals.
Embodied Cognition: Theories of embodied cognition suggest that even our modern, language-based thinking is grounded in sensory-motor experiences & interactions with the physical world. This may provide insights into how prelinguistic thought was more closely tied to direct perception & action.
Things may all have started to change as recently as around 50,000 to 70,000 years ago, during the Upper Palaeolithic period, in which there is evidence of a significant leap in cognitive and cultural complexity among Homo sapiens. This period, often referred to as the “Great Leap Forward” or the “Cognitive Revolution,” is marked by the appearance of sophisticated tools, art, and possibly complex language. Some researchers believe this period is when fully developed language, similar to modern languages, first emerged.
Clearly much of this is speculative [& I haven’t looked into it too deeply TBH], as we have limited direct evidence of how human cognition & communication evolved before language emerged. Ongoing research in fields like anthropology, neuroscience, & cognitive science continues to shed light on this fascinating question.
My takeaway is: while it may be possible to think without speaking, I definitely know people who speak without thinking!
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