On the other hand if you were a wench in the cro-magnon culture and had a modern baby back then, he would likely grow up stumbling around the dark woodlands while articulating at best, let's say for example, maybe about one hundred and twenty-two basic words.

How about an ape in our own day recognizing a thousand word signs, Amemeba, even signing messages back to her human custodians?

Please see "Ape Masters Sign Language", Associated Press, August 9, 2004:

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/news/strange/080904_ap_sn_ape.html

Or, how about a dog which made frontpage headlines around the world recently because it recognizes the name for over 150 toys and, in particular, because it can make logical deductions and find a toy by name when it has never heard the name of the toy before.

The dog, Dante, a border collie, has become a tv star in Germany.

This feat of logical deduction [ie. finding a toy by a name it has never heard before] is comparable to the abilities of a human toddler, and has never been considered within the reach of any non-human other than a chimpanzee.

[*I will find this story, published on the frontpage of the New York Times and other leading North American papers within the last 2 months, and post it here when I find it, Amemeba.]

Would either of these animal feats cause you to reconsider your 'cro-magnon' theory of words, Amemeba [if I may call it that in short without intending any disrespect]?

If an ape, a chimpanzee and a border collie can demonstrate a true understanding of human words, Amemeba, even put those words to actual use, is it not ideas, rather than words, which distinguish humans from animals?

*"Rico" not "Dante"

The border collie's name is "Rico", not "Dante", and it has mastered the name of over 200 toys, not 150.

Go to:

http://www.boston.com/yourlife/articles/2004/06/10/border_collie_found_to_understand_more_than_200_words/

BTW here is a photo of Rico [in USA today] for those who find animals at least as appealing, if not so articulate, as people.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/science/2004-06-10-dogs-language_x.htm