There is no sharp distinction in brain function between speech and language; instead, there is a speech production pathway for spoken language and an auditory pathway for understanding speech.

“And the question is there a distinction between speech and language? And when I look at the brain of work that other people have done, work we have done, also compared it with animal models, like those who can imitate sounds like parrots and songbirds. I start to see there really isn't such a sharp distinction.”