The Evolutionary emergence of language

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Contributors......Page 11
Acknowledgements......Page 13
Language: A Darwinian Adaptation?......Page 15
References......Page 26
PART I THE EVOLUTION OF COOPERATIVE COMMUNICATION......Page 31
1 Introduction: The Evolution of Cooperative Communication......Page 33
References......Page 39
The Priority of Comprehension......Page 41
Ritualisation......Page 43
Conventionalisation......Page 45
Signal Types......Page 47
Words and Conventionalised Gestures......Page 50
Conclusions......Page 51
References......Page 52
1. Language Origins and Darwinian Thought......Page 54
2. Simulating the Evolution of Communication......Page 55
3. Expensive Hype and Conspiratorial Whispers......Page 57
4. Conflicts of Interest......Page 58
5. A Simple Signalling Game......Page 59
6. Stable Strategies in the Simple Game......Page 62
7. An Evolutionary Simulation Model......Page 63
8. A Game with Variable Signal Costs......Page 65
9. Simulation Model with Continuous Signal Costs and Reception Threshold......Page 66
10. Discussion of Results......Page 71
11. Implications for Theories of Language Evolution......Page 73
References......Page 74
1.1. Uniqueness of Relevant Speech......Page 76
1.2. Linguistic Relevance and Biological Relevance......Page 77
2.1. Evolution of Symmetrical Cooperation......Page 79
2.2. Inverse Cheat Detection......Page 83
3.1. A Social Role for Language......Page 84
3.2. Language as a Heterogeneous Exchange......Page 85
3.3. Hominid Politics......Page 86
3.4. A Simplified Account of Language Origin......Page 87
4. Discussion......Page 90
References......Page 93
5 Secret Language Use at Female Initiation: Bounding Gossiping Communities......Page 95
A Prototype for Ritual: Cosmetics and Female Coalitions......Page 96
Bantu Puberty Ceremonial: Cosmetics, Control and Secret Language......Page 98
The Venda School of Vhusha/Domba as a System of Reciprocity......Page 101
Bemba Chisungu: Gossip, Esoteric Knowledge and Ritual Hierarchy......Page 102
Kpe Liengu Cult: Across Ethnic Boundaries......Page 104
Factors Leading to Elaboration of Mechanisms to Counter Freeriders......Page 106
Conclusion: Relevance, Gossip and Secret Knowledge......Page 108
References......Page 110
6 Play as Precursor of Phonology and Syntax......Page 113
Precursors of Compositional Speech......Page 115
‘Phonological’ Versus ‘Lexical’ Syntax......Page 119
Language and Animal Play......Page 120
Language and Laughter......Page 122
Play and the Emergence of Language......Page 125
Conclusion: The Emergence of Syntactical Speech......Page 126
Acknowledgement......Page 128
References......Page 129
PART II THE EMERGENCE OF PHONETIC STRUCTURE......Page 135
7 Introduction: The Emergence of Phonetic Structure......Page 137
References......Page 143
8 The Role of Mimesis in Infant Language Development: Evidence for Phylogeny?......Page 144
Mimesis in the Developing Infant......Page 145
The Child’s Empathic Identification with Caretakers......Page 147
The Child’s Move from Syllabic Babbling to First Words......Page 148
Prerequisites for the Referential Use of Words......Page 152
Evidence for Phylogeny?......Page 153
References......Page 156
From Primate Calls to Speech: The Frame/Content Theory......Page 160
A Possible Parallel Between Ontogeny and Phylogeny: Frames, Then Content......Page 162
The Frame Stage......Page 163
From Frames to Frame/Content......Page 166
Summary......Page 171
References......Page 172
Introduction......Page 175
Genes and Language......Page 176
The Particulate Principle of Self-Diversifying Systems......Page 177
The Dissociation of Sound and Meaning......Page 178
From Syllable to Gesture to Segment......Page 179
The Vocal Mechanism......Page 180
Imitation......Page 181
The Process of Vocal Imitation and the Loss of Meaning......Page 182
The Emergence of an Independent Level of Phonetic Representation......Page 183
Phonetic Memory: A Preadaptation for Displaced Reference and Syntax......Page 184
The Syllabic Origins of Phonetic Structure......Page 185
The Particulate Basis of Writing and Reading......Page 186
Summary and Conclusion......Page 187
References......Page 188
Introduction......Page 191
The Agents......Page 193
The Imitation Game......Page 197
Vowel Experiments......Page 202
Towards Complex Utterances......Page 206
Conclusions and Discussion......Page 207
References......Page 210
Introduction......Page 213
Computational Models of Language-Learning Populations......Page 214
Modelling Language-Physiology Coevolution......Page 215
Experiment 1: Language Negotiation in Populations of Homogeneous Language Capability......Page 218
Experiment 2: Language-Physiology Coevolution......Page 220
Experiment 4: Negotiation and Evolution Without Spatial Organisation......Page 224
Discussion......Page 227
References......Page 228
PART III THE EMERGENCE OF SYNTAX......Page 231
13 Introduction: The Emergence of Syntax......Page 233
Appendix on Syntactic Notation......Page 242
References......Page 243
A UG Condition on Movement Traces......Page 245
Explaining Evolution......Page 248
Singularists and Pluralists......Page 249
The Condition Is Partially Dysfunctional......Page 253
Conclusion......Page 258
References......Page 260
1. Introduction: Grammar as Historical Accident......Page 262
2. The Sentence-NP Distinction as an Evolutionary Problem......Page 264
3. A Scenario for the Origin of the Sentence-NP Distinction......Page 265
4. Precise Implications of the Syllabic Model for Syntax......Page 268
5. Archaeological and Later Linguistic Evidence......Page 272
6. Conclusion: Grammar as a Mixed Blessing......Page 275
References......Page 276
1. Introduction......Page 278
2. Reciprocal Altruism, the Social Calculus and the Roots of Syntax......Page 279
3. Signal Coherence and Syntax......Page 284
4. Baldwin Effects, Parsing and Speaker-Hearer Conflicts......Page 291
5. Some Possible Objections......Page 293
6. Conclusion......Page 295
References......Page 296
The Nature of Human Language......Page 299
Was Protolanguage Holistic?......Page 301
Explanatory Advantages of Continuity......Page 304
Utterances in Protolanguage......Page 307
Absence of Reference and Description......Page 308
Why Did Grammar Appear?......Page 309
Segmentation......Page 310
The Effect of Counterexamples......Page 311
What Happened Next?......Page 312
A Continuing Role for Holistic Sequences......Page 313
References......Page 314
The Origins of Syntax......Page 317
Features of a Desirable Model......Page 319
Utterances......Page 320
Individuals......Page 321
The Population Dynamic......Page 324
Results......Page 325
Stage I......Page 326
Stage II......Page 327
Stage III......Page 328
Why Does This Model Work?......Page 331
Conclusion......Page 334
Notes......Page 335
References......Page 336
Introduction......Page 338
Assumptions......Page 339
Speaking/Invention and Hearing/Acquisition......Page 340
The World of Meanings......Page 342
About Rules......Page 343
The Simulation Cycle......Page 347
Experiment 1: Syntactic Rules Supersede Idiosyncratic Lexical Items......Page 348
Experiment 2: Frequent Meanings Attract Idioms......Page 353
Experiment 3: Even Limited ‘Rule Making’ Makes Regular E-Language......Page 354
Experiment 4: A Binary Rule Supersedes Nonbinary Rules......Page 358
Summary......Page 359
Biocultural Coevolution......Page 361
How This Model Relates to Others......Page 362
Notes......Page 364
References......Page 365
Summary......Page 367
Words as Memes......Page 368
Language Change by Evolution of Word Feature Structures......Page 374
Semantic Role Selection......Page 376
Verbs of Motion......Page 377
Language Universals......Page 379
Regularity and Irregularity......Page 380
Biological and Cultural Evolution......Page 382
References......Page 384
Motivating a ‘Proto-World’ Word Order of SOV......Page 386
SOV Proto-Order and UG Constraints......Page 394
Conclusion......Page 398
Notes......Page 399
References......Page 400
EPILOGUE......Page 403
22 The History, Rate and Pattern of World Linguistic Evolution......Page 405
Extant Linguistic Diversity......Page 407
The Total Number of Languages Ever Spoken......Page 409
Rates of Language Evolution......Page 410
Rates of Word Evolution in the Fundamental Vocabulary......Page 418
Variation in the Density of Languages......Page 420
Ecological Forces Producing Language Change......Page 421
Phylogenetic Trends, Linguistic Diversity and Rates of Culturogenesis......Page 425
Epilogue......Page 427
References......Page 429
Author Index......Page 431
Subject Index......Page 435