Evolution Of Language

Question 1

Theories of language evolution

Answer 1

Lexical protolanguage, gestural protolanguage, musical protolanguage

Question 2

Protolanguage

Answer 2

Evolutionary precursors to language

Question 3

Lexical protolanguage hypothesis

Answer 3

Language started with individual, meaningful words

Question 4

Gestural protolanguage

Answer 4

Language started with hand gestures

Question 5

Musical protolanguage

Answer 5

Language began with complex, song-like vocalisations

Question 6

Phylogeny

Answer 6

Evolution of language in humans

Question 7

Comparative method includes what features of human language

Answer 7

Signal structure and syntax

Question 8

What did Heimbaurer et al (2011) find with Panzee?

Answer 8

Recognised 128 words

Trained keyboard symbols

Question 9

Limitation of Panzee? (Heimbaurer et al 2011)

Answer 9

Doesn’t understand as much as high school student (60,000 words)

Question 10

Nim Chimpsky findings

Answer 10

Could construct multi word phrases and trained in sign language

Question 11

Limitations of Nim Chimpsky

Answer 11

Lang as tool to obtain things and primarily intentions

Question 12

Kanzi the bonobo findings

Answer 12

Could build thoughts and sentences by pointing to symbols

Question 13

Limitations of Kanzi the bonobo

Answer 13

94% requests, 4% indicative statements

Question 14

Assumed Argument of TOM in human Lang

Answer 14

Assumed fundamental difference in ability to recognise mental states of others

Question 15

Recent research by Crockford et al (2012) TOM

Answer 15

Snake on path- apes intentionally communicate among unaware group members

Question 16

Suggestion for ability to express thoughts

Answer 16

Change in FOX P2 gene (evidence for mutation KE family= difficulty pronouncing words and speaking grammatically)

Question 17

Faculty of language proposed by

Answer 17

Hauser, Chomsky and Fitch (2010)

Question 18

2 distinct senses of faculty of language

Answer 18

Broad sense and narrow sense

Question 19

Faculty of language in the broad sense

Answer 19

Sensory motor system, conceptual-intentional system, computational mechanism for recursion

Question 20

Faculty of language in the narrow sense

Answer 20

Only includes recursion and only unique component of human language

Question 21

Theories for language evolution

Answer 21

Lexical protolanguage, gestural protolanguage and musical protolanguage

Question 22

Lexical protolanguage was proposed by whom?

Answer 22

Bickerton (1990)

Question 23

Gestural protolanguage proposed by whom?

Answer 23

Hewes (1973)

Question 24

Musical protolanguage proposed by who?

Answer 24

Darwin and Fitch

Question 25

Main point argued by lexical protolanguage

Answer 25

• vocab and meaning but no syntax

- Catastrophic emergence of syntax from protolanguage -> language

Question 26

Supporting evidence for lexical protolanguage

Answer 26

• ape utterance and child language

- pidgins -> Creoles

Question 27

Limitation of lexical protolanguage

Answer 27

focus on transition between protolanguage -> modern language but how did protolanguage arise

Question 28

Jackendoff (1999, 2002) extension of lexical protolanguage

Answer 28

Multistage process of syntax development: one word stage (utterances mapped to meanings)
Evolution of lexical acquisition enable large vocabs

Question 29

Strengths of lexical protolanguage approach

Answer 29

Supports cooperation through sharing information e.g facilitate hunting, gathering, defence and social communication

Question 30

Limitations of lexical protolanguage

Answer 30

Not evolutionary stable (Free riders)-> Kin selection and altruism
Vocal learning is assumed without explanation

Question 31

Gestural protolanguage was proposed by

Answer 31

Hewes et al (1973)

Question 32

Gestural protolanguage assumption

Answer 32

Humans gesture automatically and gestures emerge in children before speech

Question 33

Strengths of gestural protolanguage

Answer 33

Non-human primates can produce sophisticated gestures to signal objects e.g Panzee (Heimbauher et al., 2011)

Humans can pantomime successfully + home sign deaf children with hearing parents

Question 34

Limitations of gestural protolanguage

Answer 34

Fitch (2010) why would gestural-> spoken Lang?

Native signers don’t need hands free + listening also demands attention

Question 35

Musical protolanguage argued by

Answer 35

Darwin and Fitch

Question 36

Musical protolanguage accounts for

Answer 36

Arbitrariness and generativity

Question 37

Assumptions behind musical protolanguage

Answer 37

Music is universal in human cultures
Always has structure
Still part of human Lang

Question 38

Darwin (1971) 3 stages in emergence of articulate language

Answer 38

Development of protohuman cognition
Evolution of vocal imitation
Association with meanings

Question 39

Fitch (2002) multistage model

Answer 39

1. Phonology - sexual and kin selection
2. Arbitrary, holistic meaning (kin selection, context-bound)
3. Analytic meaning (thoughts expressed)
4. Modern language (kin selection and mother-infant communication)

Question 40

Support for musical protolanguage

Answer 40

Dissanayake (2000) music important in raising infants-> strengthening mother-infant bond

Question 41

Conclusion of LCA and humans

Answer 41

Probably a combination of cognitive developments driven by increased brain size and changes in neural connectivity and plasticity

Question 42

Physiological changes in humans (evolution)

Answer 42

Bipedalism, vocal tract (lowered larynx)

Question 43

What must be accounted for in any evolutionary theory of language

Answer 43

The human drive to share, capacity for vocal learning, development of large vocabularies and complex syntax

Question 44

Future directions for evolution of language research

Answer 44

Genetic approaches to date emergence of alleles by measuring amount of divergence between versions in humans and other species
(may help establish order of changes from LCA-> modern human)