According to recent studies, one main important feature that distinguishes human language from nonhuman primate communication is the ability of storytelling, i.e. to mentally travel in space and time (Corballis, 2016; 2017; Ferretti et al., 2017). Even though nonhuman animals seem to be able to communicate in a more complex way than originally thought, they do not appear to have the ability of storytelling (Ferretti et al., 2017). Chomsky’s opinion that generativity, i.e. the capacity to theoretically create an infinite number of possible meanings, as defined by Corballis (2016), is the distinctive feature that makes human language and thought unique, made him draw the conclusion that language could not have arisen through natural selection (Chomsky, 2007). Opposed to this …show more content…
He defines language as "primarily a means of communicating thoughts", and some of its distinctive properties derive from the nature of the thoughts we wish to communicate (Corballis, 2016). He is convinced that generativity derives from the ability to generate thoughts. This is only possible with experience in time and space, therefore, if having the ability to travel mentally away from the present. Corballis (2016) states that generativity derives from mental time travel capacity. One important aspect of MTT is the so-called "episodic memory" (Bartlett, 1932). It means that memories are constructed rather than simple replays of the past (Corballis, 2016). As language capacity enables us to express our MTT, one may think that we're the only species capable of it. Evidence now suggests that some form of MTT may go far back in evolution. The main brain region activated during MTT is the hippocampus. Corballis (2016) describes an experiment with rats that shows that even though they are evolutionarily far away from humans, they do have some form of MTT. This leads to the assumption that some form of MTT may go far back in