Brain, Language Function, And Grammar Rules

Human brain differs with it's closest relative (Chimpanzees) not as much in size and shape as in it's unique function to communicate in verbal and written language. The human brain with it's verbal and written functions has demonstrated capacity to produce rules and grammars with interesting grammarian twists and turns.

There are varied languages. Over time, all languages have developed grammatical rules as well as exceptions to rules, rules nevertheless. What is the core purpose of this rule and grammar making function of human brain? Is rule and grammar making function to make language more efficient, evolved, or make a language complicated? The efficient functionality can be justified on grounds that it serves to make a language more accessible and do what a language suppose to do, facilitate communication. Language has to change and evolve, and with evolution change in language can also be justified. However, to decode the purpose of making rules and grammar to make a language complicated is difficult, and indeed complicated.

Merriam Webster's in it's 2001 second edition "Guide to Punctuation and Style" has all kinds of rules and grammar for English language. All of the rules with some exceptions have exceptions, as well. For example, one of rule is as follows: "compound modifiers that include a number followed by a noun (except for the noun percent) are hyphenated when they precede the noun they modify, but usually not when they follow it." Isn't an interesting drama of "except" and "usually". Another example: " A verb derived from an open or hyphenated compound noun is hyphenated." There are more. Let us just keep it simple.

How these hyphen rules or any other hyphen rules facilitate or refine the key purpose of language--communication? Will human race be less communicative w/o these rules? Perhaps a better question: Will human race be more or less intelligent with or w/o these rules?

Time to ponder....................