A Biological Perspective

Question 1

Humans

Answer 1

Think of ourselves as being the pinnacle of evolution and that our quirkiness’s are somehow “correct”; but other animals communicate, “birds” “cuttlefish” “chimps”

Question 2

Is language in our genes

Answer 2

looking for this genetic basis of human language is not very enlightening

Human language and culture are deeply interconnected

Genes and gene networks controlling several anatomical, physiological, and behavioral features all changed over time, as a result of selective pressures created by the increasingly important role of linguistic communication

Question 3

Language evolutionary changes (from neck up)

Answer 3

in mouth, throat, and brain; shortened muzzle, stretched out pharynx: great for making vowels

Larynx; as men get into puberty Larynx gets larger and goes lower in tract (making voice deeper)

Brain: got bigger

1) Wernicke’s area
2) Broca’s area
3) cerebral asymmetries (localization of language skills)

Question 4

Selective Pressure

Answer 4

alters the behavior and fitness of living organisms within a given environment, prevent the overall number of displays from growing beyond a certain point, even though it is clear that new displays are developed to suit new adaptive circumstances

Question 5

What were the selective pressures?

Answer 5

Chemical signals to communicate: slow, limited
Neural signals: have to be plugged in
Tactile: require contact
Electric field manipulation: not possible
Visual: need visual contact
Acoustic signals: reasonable distance, sensory preceptors good, don’t need visual contact

Question 6

Broca’s Area

Answer 6

controls sound structure (phonetics, phonology)

Question 7

Wernicke’s Area

Answer 7

controls the vocabulary meanings and pronunciations

Question 8

Language developed to…

Answer 8

Organize socially, coordinate hunts, teach toolmaking, manipulate reproduction, take care of others, sharing experiences

Question 9

Alternate theories: Gossip, Marriage Contracts

Answer 9

Dunbar: Gossip was more efficient than grooming and could be done on a larger scale at once to influence social bonds

Ancestors evolved language so as to use gossip as a more efficient substitute for the grooming behavior that other primates use to establish and maintain social relationships

Deacon: For hunting and provisioning to co-exist in large groups of reproductively active hominids, Deacon argues, it was necessary to establish a certain sort of social contract. If this contract can be establishing and maintained, then everyone is better off

Deacon thinks that early hominids developed symbolic communication as a way to establish social contracts permitting stable family and group structures, which otherwise would not have permitted hunting and scavenging for meat as a systematic source of supplemental food during times of drought

Question 10

“Spandrel theory”

Answer 10

Gould: Language as a side-effect of big brains, then developed to become useful

Question 11

Vocal folds

Answer 11

brought together to form a seal, or moved apart to permit free motion of air in and out of the lungs