Language involves encoding ideas as speech sounds using words that link to meanings. It has rules for syntax, phonology, and grammar. Historical figures like Broca and Wernicke identified brain areas critical for language from lesion studies, though new techniques have expanded understanding. The left hemisphere is dominant for language in most right-handed individuals. Regions in the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes are involved in language implementation, mediation, and concepts. Genes and a critical period aid language acquisition in infants, who begin babbling and speaking words in the first year.