“There are profound developmental and neurorelational repercussions to the specializations that we acquire related to manipulation; and this is exemplified in the common tool-use and manipulation specialization of the right hand, which is so linked to vocalization that early gestures with it — pointing, for example — are almost always accompanied by ‘babble’. This gives the impression that representation began with pointing, or gestures (a sensible evolutionary precursor) and proceeded to music, and then language. But the astonishing thing here is that the gesture of pointing is indicative of intentional discrimination. It is an act of ‘making a cut’ so to speak, in reality, and there are different ‘kinds of cuts’ that appear to conform approximately, to our categories (circumstance, method, object, being, system, model, place, moment, etc.). Creatures without language are capable of similar demonstrative and indicative activity, and some species of birds appear peculiarly adapted for this. The topic is vastly deeper than it appears, and involves nearly every aspect of human behavior — including thought which, in languages around the world is commonly metaphied as –grasping-. Somehow, the universe of representation is deeply linked with the development of peculiar manipulative specializations — and this development favored and altered the left hemisphere and the right hand.”

— an anonymous informant