What is it about us humans and our languages that allows us to communicate in ways unmatched by other animals or powerful AI models? The question is ancient, but recent decades have seen great progress in the cognitive science of language, while expanding the diversity of languages investigated. We know much more about how languages vary, how they develop in children, how they are encoded in the mind, and relate to other domains of cognition. Major developments in statistical computation and research on animal cognition also illuminate what is (not) possible without the particular structure of the human mind. We bring this all to bear on our Big Question: What makes human language special from the viewpoint of meaning? Students will come to understand the major features of language as a vehicle for complex thought and a tool for communication. They will use this understanding in analyzing common semantic patterns and everyday conversational dynamics.