What is Grendel's attitude toward language and how does it change through the story?

In Gardner’s adaptation of Beowulf, the character Grendel’s use of vocabulary evolves over the course of the story. In the beginning Grendel is still in what is considered his childhood where he doesn’t completely understand the concept of language. He doesn’t remember when exactly he learned how to speak, but he understands that it is a part that makes him different from the instinctual animals that he hunts. He notices that his mother has long since lost the gift of speaking.  Without anyone to talk to, Grendel becomes very lonely and often contemplates his purpose in the world. In his first encounter with humans, he discovers that he is not the only one with the ability to speak, and tries to communicate with them. His guttural roars are misinterpreted by the humans, even though they speak the same language, and he is attacked. Grendel learns through this experience that language is a form of communication, but also that creatures with the ability to use it have higher intelligence. After meeting the dragon and observing the humans for twelve years, Grendel becomes proficient in the use of his linguistic skills and continually flaunts them when he can. He tries to understand the ways of humans and why they exist in order to provide a meaning for his own existence. He mocks the tales of heroes and their epics to play tricks on Unferth’s mind and even recites lines of poetry he has learned from the Shaper. In the end Grendel is forced by Beowulf to sing of walls in a final act of humiliation. At this point, Grendel feels that language is a device that men use to fill each other with fanciful ideas and to bend the truth. He sees the inner barbarity of humanity and is disgusted by their ability to sugar-coat gruesome battles with overtures of glory and fame. From babe to beast, Grendel realizes that language can be beautiful, but more often a messenger of lies and deceit for the debilitation of others.