ABSTRACT
Multimedia communication is basic to human cultures. All human societies use spoken language, gestures and body language, visual and aural symbols, and space to convey meaning. All known societies have complex languages capable of communicating abstract philosophical concepts as well as pragmatic knowledge. One marked difference between humans and apes occurs when infants are about six months old: Human infants intently watch people speaking and begin attempting to imitate speech, while ape infants’ babble diminishes. Capacity for elaborated, fine-tuned language is in our genes and is a distinctive human characteristic.
form: directly observed meaning: associations society ascribes to the object or behavior use: object or behavior in relation to external [natural or social] environment function: object or behavior in relation to role it plays in its society (its “purpose” as seen by members of its society)
