I disagree. You're still human if you're deaf and mute. Our intellectual processing powers, or of animals for that matter, has nothing to do with language.

Being deaf and mute doesn't imply lack of language. But being unable to communicate absolutely strikes me as non-human.

Ok say you grew up alone in the woods, are you no longer human? The capability to learn language is no doubt unique, but language itself isn't the basis of intelligence.

> Ok say you grew up alone in the woods, are you no longer human?

No. You are not. You are a hairless, bipedal ape.

> but language itself isn't the basis of intelligence.

Intelligence is an illusion based in language. Without language, intelligence is meaningless