Ligia Parra-Esteban
Tue, 26 Feb 2002 09:19:59 -0800
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2002 19:33:39 -0000 Subject: [evol-psych] The Origin of Language Reply-To: "Ian Pitchford" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Human Nature Review 2002 Volume 2: 84-87 ( 21 February ) URL of this document http://human-nature.com/nibbs/02/spr.html Book Review The Origin of Language The Symbolic Species: The Co-evolution of Language and the Brain by Terrence W. Deacon Penguin, 1997 Reviewed by Desmond Fearnley-Sander, School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Tasmania, GPO Box 252-37, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, AUSTRALIA 'In the beginning was the Word'. So the Bible seems to acknowledge the specialness of language, the distinctive characteristic that separates the human from all other species, even from the other great apes. It is not the ability to communicate that distinguishes us. Other species communicate and depend for their continued survival upon successful communication. It is communication of a particular kind: no other species makes promises or poems. When did language arise, and how? And why? If it is of value for the survival of a species, as it clearly is, then why has only one species succeeded in acquiring full-blown language? The theory of evolution offers a framework in which these questions may be addressed. The difficulty is that language, spoken or signed, leaves no lasting trace. Which of our ancient ancestors had language, and what form their language had are matters that must be inferred from a record of fossils and ancient artifacts that is extremely sparse. The idea of studying the generation and processing of language in brains by the standard experimental method of science meets a different difficulty: ethical constraints severely limit the types of experiment that may be performed. Much of what is known about the workings of the brain has had to be gleaned from evidence that is only serendipitously available: for well over a century, careful observation of what goes wrong in brains that are physically damaged (by accident or through beneficial medical procedures such as the removal of tumours) has contributed to the development of a picture in which, broadly speaking, certain areas of the brain are distinguished by their special functions. Full text http://human-nature.com/nibbs/02/spr.html Table of Contents http://human-nature.com/nibbs/contents.html __________ --------------------------------------------------------------------- Ligia Parra-Esteban Directora Fundacion VOC de Investigacion de la Comunicacion Entre Cientificos. Apartado Aereo 86745 Bogota. Colombia. http://www.mox.uniandes.edu.co/voc Telefono (+) 571-6242075 Fax (+) 571-6139654 Zona Postal 1102 E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] Secretario Junta Directiva Luis H. Blanco <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Laboratorio de Investigaciones Basicas. Bloque 9 Ciudad Universitaria. Unidad Camilo Torres. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ============================================================================= Si necesita retirarse de la lista envie un mensaje a: [EMAIL PROTECTED] con una unica linea : unsubscribe r-caldas Para inscribirse en la lista envie un mensaje a [EMAIL PROTECTED] con una unica linea : subscribe r-caldas Los mensajes que circulan en la lista los puede consultar en : http://www.mail-archive.com/r-caldas@colciencias.gov.co