Language and Culture Prof. R. Hickey ss 2006 The evolution of language

Theories – a bird-like skill

• → only shows that parallel systems can emerge independently

Evidences

• external – clues from outside human language
• → evolutionary theory, archaeology, anatomy and physiology, ethology, psychology, anthropology
• internal – information from languages itself
• → provided by linguistics
• → pidgins and creoles are valuable sources

The Amoeba Question

• Did language elaborate from a simple outline?
• Did a mish-mash become neat and orderly?
• bow-wow theory
• hunters imitated the sounds of animals they wanted to track down
• Rousseau/ Jespersen
• first languages were singable and more passionate – became simple and methodical
• spaghetti junctions
• various possibilities existed and were used – in the long run certain features were more likely to be chosen