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From Language to Languages
Jean-Marie Hombert
CNRS and University of Lyon
International School on Complexity
Erice, 14-19 July 2007
Language Emergence?
Study of 6000 languages spoken today (universals, diachrony)
Language acquisition
(Onto vs. Phylogenesis) Language decay
(Pathology, Endangered langages) Comparative studies of communication
systems of non-human primates
Continuity vs.discontinuity
« C’est une chose bien remarquable qu’il n’y a point d’hommes si hébétés et si stupides, sans excepter même les insensés, qu’ils ne soient capables d’arranger ensemble diverses paroles, et d’en composer un discours par lequel ils fassent entendre leurs pensées; et qu’au contraire, il n’y a point d’autre animal, tant parfait et tant heureusement né qu’il puisse être, qui fasse le semblable. »
Descartes, Discours de la méthode, 1637
« The unboundedness of human speech, as an expression of limitless thought is an entirely different matter from animal communication because of the freedom from stimulus control and the appropriateness to new situations… Modern studies of animal communication so far offer no counter-evidence to the Cartesian assumption that human language is based on an entirely different principle. »
Chomsky, 1966, p.77-8
« But the question whether an ape has a language faculty is a meaningless question and therefore nobody should talk about it .»
Chomsky, cited by Belsack et al 1999, p 35
« I cannot doubt that language owes its origin to the imitation and modification, aided by signs and gestures, of various natural sounds, the voices of other animals, and man’s own distinctive cries. »
Darwin, 1872, p. 56
Role of vocalizations
- Group cohesion- Avoid predators
- Access to food- Reproduction
Vocalizations are non-volontary, linked to an emotional state (role of context)
Signals cannot be segmented or recombined to create new sequences
Signals are not directed at specific individuals The production of vocalizations originates from
subcortical and limbic regions of the brain
(not from cortical regions used for speech by humans)
But communication is more than…
Vocalization among non-human primates
Articulated language among Homo sapiens
Borderline Human language
Isolated « words » Cries, LaughsMusic??
… Close to characteristics of primate vocalizations
Communicative gestures used by non-human primates
About thirty gestures have been identified by Tomasello and colleagues (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas)
Raise one’s arm Hit the ground Touch another individual
Imperatives (request) Directed at specific individuals Great variability, Individual innovations
Communicative gestures
Intentionals, non emotionals
(Tomasello : visual signals in visual field, tactile signals in non visual field)
Use of right hand
(Vauclair, baboons; Hopkins, chimpanzees)
Analogic vs.digital
Human sound system : digital
Borderline signals are analogic
(laughs, cries)
Primates Homo sapiens
Vocalizations
Communicative gestures
Borderline language
Langage
How many languages spoken today?Precise evaluation is difficult
• Language/dialect• Non investigated zones• Rapid decrease in the number of languages
Between 5 and 10.000 languages (6000)
Present situation
Historical linguisticsClassificationReconstruction
Paleolinguistics Further back in time« Environmental » context
Limits of « traditional » historical linguistics: 8 to 10.000 years
Grouping existing languages in sets which contain languages descending from the same « mother » language also called proto language
(this proto-language is a different notion from Bickerton’s proto-language)
These languages have a common history (migrations)
Use of language classification
Structure and lexicon of proto languageHomeland
Flora and fauna
Proto-culture Social structureTechnological development
Use of Linguistic Reconstructions
Hunting/Fishing techniquesAnimal domesticationAgricultureIron technology
Specific questions
Map of language families
It depends on the time depth considered:
Today: 6000 languages2000 BP: 300 « groups »5000 BP: 50 « groups »>10.000 BP: 10-25 « groups »
Families, stocks, phyla, macro-phyla
How many language families?
Lumpers vs. splitters
Splitters : Use of « strict » comparative method
Lumpers : Use of « fragile » evidence to go back to THE Proto-language
A sterile debate : need for collaboration based on large shared data bases
Gap between 100.000 BP and 10.000 BP
Mosaic evolution :
Anatomically Modern ManCulturally Modern Man
Need to develop a corresponding notion of
Linguisitically Modern Man
Linguistically Modern Man
Polygenesis vs. Mosaic evolution
Need to account for complexity of communication systems required for :Cave paintings (30.000 BP)Sea crossings (50.000 BP)Necklaces (100.000 BP)
Early traces of language use
Burials: intentional burials? offerings?
Sea- crossing : planing, raft construction
Homo sapiens in Australia at 60.000 BP
Sea levels
(from Bard & al., 1990)
Topographic base: TerrainBase (Row & hastings, 1999)
- 30m
- 50m
- 80m
Possible migration paths
FIN
Larynx position
Infant Adult
Larynx (Lieberman et al.)
Larynx (Lieberman et al.)
Role of larynx lowering
According to Lieberman, lowering of the larynx is necessary to allow speech production
Problems :
- faulty reconstructions (Boe)
- larynx lowering in other species (Fitch)Why is our larynx lowered?
Larynx lowering at puberty
.
M
F
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
Pre Peri Post
Ph
ary
nx L
en
gth
(m
m)
Pharynx length
Correlation between body size and vocal tract length
.95
1
1.05
1.1
1.15
1.2
1.25
Log
VTL
4.14.24.34.44.54.64.74.84.9 5
log10 Weight (g)
2 = 0.886
89
1011121314151617
Voc
al T
ract
Len
gth
80 100 120 140 160 180 200
Height (cm)
2 = 0.859 rr
Perception of vocal tract length (Fitch, 2000)
15 16 17 183.0
3.2
3.4
3.6
3.8
4.0
4.2
4.4
4.6
Vocal Tract Length (cm)
Bo
dy S
ize
Ra
tin
g
Conclusion…
Larynx lowering is not a necessary condition for speech production
Strong correlation between larynx lowering and perception of body size
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