Communication

Isn't it funny, how some people easily understand
the toddler's babble, the dog's expression, the cat's specific meow?
And others look askance, unable to detect the
subtle shifts in tone and added clues in body language.
What makes it easy, I wonder, for some to understand,
to commune with those
whose language differs from our own.
Is it an innate ability, or is it learned,
does it build from empathy or 
does it come from lightning fast analysis?
Is it just one or some combination 
of factors?
I look around at the world and wonder,
because with all the words that are bandied about,
all the memes and movies,
sound bytes and artworks - 
communication doesn't seem to be happening 
as often as I would have expected. 
Just "sound and fury", as Shakespeare put it - 
"signifying nothing".