Did you ever think about the human's abilities to read, write, and speak?  The thought process, language, and learning have some interesting relations.  When a child finishes his dinner and exclaims, "allgone mama", the parent might be amazed that he can express his thoughts, however grammatically incorrect.  His language might reflect his thoughts, but does one need language to have thoughts or to learn?  Can one have concepts of things without words for them?  Can one have sophisticated thought on, or learn about specialized subjects without language?  At a certain age, a child has a limited vocabulary.  When his vocabulary is limited, is he able to think and learn about things outside his vocabulary?  Language is not required for all thought, but without it, one would be very limited. Language and thought are a few of the most amazing abilities of intelligent life.  The term language used here is defined as a high level communication using organized meaningful vocalizations and writings.  The definition for thought used here is the cognitive manipulation of ideas, sensory inputs, and needs.  Intelligence in this analysis has two meanings: basic intelligence is the capacity of thought, higher, advanced, and superior intelligence are increasingly more complex levels of intelligence which include the ability to learn, reason, and understand and the ability to fathom meaning.  I think language, thought, and intelligence are intertwined.  Thought is essential to both language and intelligence; on the contrary, neither language nor higher intelligence is required to think, although basic intelligence is.  Higher intelligence is directly involved in the development of language; however, language is not required to posses higher intelligence.
        There are relationships between higher intelligence, advanced thought, and language.  It is necessary to attain one in order to develop another.  So, again which comes first?  They probably develop simultaneously; however, this is not the concentration of this analysis.  The spoken languages of humans are extremely advanced as compared with other animals' abilities to communicate.  The human's advanced ability to use language allows us a higher level of thinking.  With language we have the capacity for more complex thoughts.  As thought develops, becoming more complex, humans develop superior intelligence. Through our superior intelligence, we humans are continually improving our ability to communicate.  An example of this is the development of language and communication devices for the deaf and blind.  So which came first, the chicken or the egg?  Without language, one could not have complex thoughts on a particular subject.  One could not speak intelligently about computers without knowing computer terminology: keyboard, mouse, simms, cpu, drivers, ports, etc.  Without advanced intelligence one could not develop complex language.  No other intelligent life forms communicate with written or spoken language.  With advanced intelligence, one has advanced thought.  Using computers as an example again; as a person studies and learns about using and programming computers they may develop new programs or think of better ways of using them.  In advancing thought, there is development of superior intelligent and complex language.
        At an early age when children have limited vocabularies, they usually overextend their words to express thoughts on subjects outside their knowledge, showing language is not necessary for simple thought.  In addition, complex thought is not essential to being intelligent.  For example a bear knows how to get food and stay warm in the winter instinctively, displaying some of the requirements of our definition.  Advanced language is also not essential to being intelligent.  In our example the bear has displayed the capacity for thought, which is basic intelligence; even though, it cannot speak.
        Humans' basic methods for communicating are very similar to lower life forms.  We use body language and other methods of simple communication.  We also use simple spoken language.  Birds flash their colors and put on fascinating displays during mating rituals.  Birds sing to communicate a variety of things to  fellow birds.  Dolphins' use of advance communication has been studied for years.  The similarities between human communication and that of lower life forms ends at simple communication.  I have never heard of any studies of animals having complex thought.  Even a dolphin, with its complex communication, does not think of or talk about fuel injection with its fellow dolphins, nor do they possess language, according to our definition.  Over the many years that this planet has evolved, humans have been the only creatures to develop complex spoken and written language. This may be due to an ability to increase our intelligence through the development of complex thought.
        The advanced thought, language, and intelligence humans possess has developed over thousands of years.  Many hundreds of evolutionary steps must have occurred to reach our present state.  If we had never developed our complex language, how many of the wonders of today would not have existed: medicine, buildings, electronics, machines, etc.?  Try thinking of working at a job without using words, just concepts.  That means think as if you were a dog.  Could you unlock the door?  Maybe if you were trained.  Could you turn on the computer?  Again, it's possible with training.  Now how about accessing a file your boss just ask for for the first time?  Now think about driving a car using no complex thought.  The passenger says turn south on 63rd.  Are you getting lost?  No asking for directions, that involves words.  How intelligent would a person seem if they had not advanced to the same degree as the rest of us?
        There are many diseases that cause people to lose their abilities, which we take for granted every day.  A person with a loss of ability to think complex thoughts sits in a nursing home unable to become more, and yet some still possess language.  For people who lose their ability to speak, communicating their basic needs becomes very difficult, but they remain intelligent.  However, discussing complex issues becomes impossible.  Through disease or because of accident some people's intelligence is decreased to that of a toddler.  These people have trouble taking care of even their most basic needs.  What if humans born today only possessed basic intelligence, couldn't develop language, and were not able to engage in complex thought?  The loss of our advanced abilities, to diseases like Alzheimer's and to accidents, is a reality therefore more fathomable that never having attained them.
        Think of your everyday life and the importance of language.  Teaching would be almost impossible.  High tech. jobs would not exist.  Now consider the importance of thought.  The many great thinkers of our time have made numerous improvements for humanity.  Our high level of intelligence, that makes our way of life possible, is due mainly to our ability to use language and engage in complex thought.  Our use of language is always expanding as our technology increases.  Some of the recent advances in language, such as sign language and wireless communication, are brought to us from some of our most intelligent thinkers.  Through humans' superior intelligence have come the most impressive advances in the use of language possible today.  Out ability to learn another language could be compared to geese being able to communicate with ducks.  We also have the ability to communicate with other animals.
        It is probably our unique ability to advance our thinking, language, and intelligence.  Understanding all the uses of language requires much thought.  An understanding that language, thought, and higher intelligence are closely related and dependent on one another has been proposed.  Life exists without advanced language, complex thought, and a high level of intelligence. The way of life and all the daily activities of a person would not be the same if these unique abilities did not exist.  A person that looses one of these attributes, looses one of the uniqueness of humanity.  Looking at the life of some such person gives us a sort of glimpse at one of the remotely possible evolutionary paths humans could have taken.  We think, therefore we are. We can, so we do.  It is within our grasp so we reach.