L’evolució humana. L’evidència lingüística

Authors

  • Joana Rosselló Universitat de Barcelona
  • Liliana Tolchinsky Universitat de Barcelona
  • Carme Junyent Universitat de Barcelona

Keywords:

Darwin, speech, vocal production learning, evolution of language, language acquisition, glossogeny.

Abstract

In The Descent of Man (1871), Darwin underpins the idea that our species was evolved by natural selection, which includes the human mind. Consequently, he has to face Max Müller’s challenge that our capacity for language cannot be explained through natural selection. Such a challenge is overcome by Darwin by means of a conjecture which is more suggestive and powerful, complete and integrative than others now current; besides, by being centered in speech, it is more plausible biologically. The power of Darwin’s proposal arises from a deep knowledge of language. Here, as elsewhere in the Darwinian enterprise, phylogeny is studied with an eye on ontogeny. Glossogeny, it is to say, linguistic change is also contemplated. Phylogeny, ontogeny and glossogeny, in this order, are discussed in the three parts of the present essay.

Keywords: Darwin, speech, vocal production learning, evolution of language, language acquisition, glossogeny.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Downloads

Issue

Section

Articles