What, so far, seems to be Gardner’s message about language?

Grendel initially takes great joy in language. The stuff of oral tradition enchants him. It is however frustrating that he can't communicate, he can only understand. As the story unfolds he finds it meaningless. Grendel loses his own language skills as he plunges into existential nihilism. Life has become meaningless and the language of man even more meaningless. So, does language reflect humanity? Is humanity ultimately meaningless rendering language the same?