Language is for thought and communication

There is an ancient debate about whether language is an instrument for thought or for communication. I argue that the distinction is misleading, and that language is an integral part of both, human-specific thought, and communication. The argument is based on the growing consensus that grammatical knowledge – a hallmark of human language – encompasses not only the propositional content of an utterance but also its communicative content. If communicative content is regulated by grammatical knowledge, then it follows that communication is as much a function of language as thought is.Funding is acknowledged from grant PID2019-105241GB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU) and Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and grant 2017 SGR 1265 (AGAUR); as well as a SSHRC Insight grant (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada 435-2018-1011)