What comes to mind when you see the word cat? A furry childhood best friend? Fits of sneezing from allergies? Either way, the word evokes a response because it is a symbol, a sign representing a person, idea, or thing. Words evoke particular responses because speakers of that language agree that they do. Thus you can use words to communicate ideas and thoughts about particular subjects when you have a common language. Moreover, using words as symbols is a uniquely human ability (Wade, 2010).