Language and the Tower of Babel

One thing that I cannot figure out is why no-one puts himself in the frame of mind of the writer of the particular story. In the Babel case, people assumed that heaven was within reach of building a hight enough tower. It would make no sense to confuse language if it was physically impossible to attain the goal of the tower builders, but if the people, of that time, felt that it was physically possible, then there is a meaning of the babbling.