Language in Nature: on the Evolutionary Roots of a Cultural Phenomenon
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| Publication date | 2013 |
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| Book title | The Language Phenomenon |
| Book subtitle | Human Communication from Milliseconds to Millennia |
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| Series | The Frontiers Collection |
| Pages (from-to) | 163-189 |
| Publisher | Heidelberg: Springer |
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| Abstract | What could an evolutionary explanation for language look like? Here I review relevant evidence from linguistics, comparative biology, evolutionary theory and the fossil record, which suggest vocal imitation and hierarchical compositionality as the essential and uniquely human biological foundations of language. I also outline a plausible scenario for how human language evolved, and propose that language preceded, and facilitated the development of, other cognitive domains such as reasoning, the ability to plan, and consciousness. |
| Document type | Chapter |
| Language | English |
| Published at | https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36086-2_8 |
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