Historical, Darwinian, and current perspectives on the origin(s) of language
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Henri Cohen
Abstract
Language has universally been felt to constitute the attribute that sets humans apart from other species. The quest to understand why and how the capacity to speak came to be has been central to our understanding of the nature of humankind. In this chapter, we focus on the speculations and explanations of the origin and evolution of language, highlighting attempts to answer this question from the ancient Greeks to the present day. A number of perspectives are presented, more or less in phase with the chronological development of the related ideas. Early thoughts on language origin in antiquity, the language deprivation experiments, and the Christian-era reflections on the origin of language constitute the first perspectives. Next, some pre-Darwinian accounts of the origin of language are explored, specifically Condillac’s and Monboddo’s views, as best reflecting the spirit of the Enlightenment, and Herder’s treatise on the subject. The historical context of the Société de Linguistique de Paris’s ban on this very topic is then examined, revealing the enduring misperception of its nature and causes. Charles Darwin’s views, seldom part of discussions on the origin of language, are also presented. We close the chapter with a brief overview of current questions and directions that characterize contemporary efforts at elucidating this fascinating problem.
Abstract
Language has universally been felt to constitute the attribute that sets humans apart from other species. The quest to understand why and how the capacity to speak came to be has been central to our understanding of the nature of humankind. In this chapter, we focus on the speculations and explanations of the origin and evolution of language, highlighting attempts to answer this question from the ancient Greeks to the present day. A number of perspectives are presented, more or less in phase with the chronological development of the related ideas. Early thoughts on language origin in antiquity, the language deprivation experiments, and the Christian-era reflections on the origin of language constitute the first perspectives. Next, some pre-Darwinian accounts of the origin of language are explored, specifically Condillac’s and Monboddo’s views, as best reflecting the spirit of the Enlightenment, and Herder’s treatise on the subject. The historical context of the Société de Linguistique de Paris’s ban on this very topic is then examined, revealing the enduring misperception of its nature and causes. Charles Darwin’s views, seldom part of discussions on the origin of language, are also presented. We close the chapter with a brief overview of current questions and directions that characterize contemporary efforts at elucidating this fascinating problem.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Introduction ix
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Part 1. General perspectives and issues on language origins
- Historical, Darwinian, and current perspectives on the origin(s) of language 3
- The origin of language as seen by eighteenth-century philosophy 31
- Cognitive and social aspects of language origins 53
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Part 2. At the roots of language
- Reconstructed fossil vocal tracts and the production of speech 75
- Paleoanthropology and language 129
- Material culture and language 147
- Gestural theory of the origins of language 171
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Part 3. Communication and language origins
- Primate communication 187
- FoxP2 and vocalization 211
- Brain lateralization and the emergence of language 237
- Sensorimotor constraints and the organization of sound patterns 257
- Symbol grounding and the origin of language 279
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Part 4. Linguistic views on language origins
- Sound patterns and conceptual content of the first words 301
- Brave new words 333
- On the origin of Grammar 379
- Arbitrary signs and the emergence of language 407
- On the relevance of pidgins and creoles in the debate on the origins of language 441
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Part 5. Computational modeling of language origins
- Modeling cultural evolution 487
- How language emerges in situated embodied interactions 505
- Emergence of communication and language in evolving robots 533
- Evolving a bridge from praxis to language 555
- Index 579
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Introduction ix
-
Part 1. General perspectives and issues on language origins
- Historical, Darwinian, and current perspectives on the origin(s) of language 3
- The origin of language as seen by eighteenth-century philosophy 31
- Cognitive and social aspects of language origins 53
-
Part 2. At the roots of language
- Reconstructed fossil vocal tracts and the production of speech 75
- Paleoanthropology and language 129
- Material culture and language 147
- Gestural theory of the origins of language 171
-
Part 3. Communication and language origins
- Primate communication 187
- FoxP2 and vocalization 211
- Brain lateralization and the emergence of language 237
- Sensorimotor constraints and the organization of sound patterns 257
- Symbol grounding and the origin of language 279
-
Part 4. Linguistic views on language origins
- Sound patterns and conceptual content of the first words 301
- Brave new words 333
- On the origin of Grammar 379
- Arbitrary signs and the emergence of language 407
- On the relevance of pidgins and creoles in the debate on the origins of language 441
-
Part 5. Computational modeling of language origins
- Modeling cultural evolution 487
- How language emerges in situated embodied interactions 505
- Emergence of communication and language in evolving robots 533
- Evolving a bridge from praxis to language 555
- Index 579
