Language

When I volunteered at my library's literacy program, I found myself coaching English as a second language, I did not know how to do that, but my student and I made do. She had to learn English.

Most of the time we just talked. I would ask Noemi questions. She would answer in English. Because she had little English, that was a struggle. She would try a few words. My face would show I did not understand. She'd say something in Spanish, and maybe I got a clue, so I would repeat the Spanish word. She would be looking at me closely. She would gesture. I would smile, and she would attempt a four syllable English word, pronouncing each syllable incorrectly. It would finally dawn on me what she meant. We would go on. And we made progress.

Here's the point. A conversation between humans is a collaboration. It's nothing like two computers exchanging information. It's more like improv. And that is how the first human talk began in Africa a million years ago, like a game of charades, pointing, gesturing, face to face.