Did the Neandert als talk and why would it matter?h · reduced fertility in male hybrids (X chr.) ... vs. Dan Dediu 1 3 1 ... Simon Fisher. Dan Dediu 2 6 1 Some strands of evidence

Dan Dediu 1

16th of April, 2014EVOLANG XVienna, Austria

1

On the antiquity ofspeech and language:

Dan Dediu

Language and GeneticsGenetic Biases in Language and SpeechMax Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics

Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Articulation of /r/

Neandertal man

Did the Neandert als talk and why would it matter?h

Signal of genetic admixture

Dan Dediu 21

Overview

Asifa Majid Mark DingemanseSonja Vernes Seán Roberts Harald Hammarström Scott Moisik Rick Janssen

G[з]bils

Dan Dediu 31

present

Background

1Klein, R. G. (2009). The Human Career: Human Biological and Cultural Origins (3rd edition). University of Chicago Press.

Dan Dediu 41

Background

1

012 mya

H. erectus

Neandertals

Modern humans

Denisovans

~0.5 ~0.25

~0.03

H. heidelbergensis

Africa

Outside Africa

PNG, Australia...

Eurasia...

Jobling, M. A., Hollox, E., Hurles, M., Kivisild, T., & Tyler-Smith, C. (2013). Human evolutionary genetics (2nd edition). New York: Garland Science. Reich, D., Green, R. E., Kircher, M., … Pääbo, S. (2010). Genetic history of an archaic hominin group from Denisova Cave in Siberia. Nature 468:1053–1060.

Dan Dediu 51

Background

1

012 mya

H. erectus

Neandertals

Modern humans

Denisovans

~0.5 ~0.25

~0.03

H. heidelbergensis

Africa

Outside Africa

PNG, Australia...

admixture

Eurasia...

Green, R. E., Krause, J., Briggs, A. W., … Pääbo, S. (2010). A draft sequence of the Neandertal genome. Science 328:710–722.

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Background

1

012 mya

H. erectus

Neandertals

Modern humans

Denisovans

~0.5 ~0.25

~0.03

H. heidelbergensis

Africa

Outside Africa

PNG, Australia...

admixture

Eurasia...

Reich, D., Patterson, N., Kircher, M., Delfin, F., … Stoneking, M. (2011). Denisova Admixture and the First Modern Human Dispersals into Southeast Asia and Oceania. American Journal of Human Genetics 89:516–528.

Meyer, M., Kircher, M., … Pääbo, S. (2012). A High-Coverage Genome Sequence from an Archaic Denisovan Individual. Science 338:222–226.

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Background

1

012 mya

H. erectus

Neandertals

Modern humans

Denisovans

~0.5 ~0.25

~0.03

H. heidelbergensis

Africa

Outside Africa

PNG, Australia...

admixture

Eurasia...

Disotell, T. R. (2012). Archaic human genomics. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 149:24–39.

H. heidelbergensis~2.5%

~4%

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Background

1

012 mya

H. erectus

Neandertals

Modern humans

Denisovans

~0.5 ~0.25

~0.03

H. heidelbergensis

Africa

Outside Africa

PNG, Australia...

admixture

Eurasia...

Sankararaman, S., Mallick, S., Dannemann, M., Prüfer, K., Kelso, J., Pääbo, S., … Reich, D. (2014). The genomic landscape of Neanderthal ancestry in present-day humans. Nature. doi:10.1038/nature12961

Vernot, B., & Akey, J. M. (2014). Resurrecting Surviving Neandertal Lineages from Modern Human Genomes. Science, 1245938. doi:10.1126/science.1245938

H. heidelbergensismean 1.15% mean 1.38%

mean 0.08%

● On average ~ 23 Mb introgressed Neandertal DNA per individual

● In total ~15 Gb across all individuals ~ 20% of the Neandertal genome

● At least two episodes of admixture

But:

● reduced fertility in male hybrids (X chr.)

● low introgressed DNA around genes →

negative selection (e.g around FOXP2)

● positive selection on skin & hair alleles

● some Nenadertal alleles associated with

“negative” traits (autoimmune diseases,

diabetes, addiction)

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Broad models for language origins

1

012 mya

H. erectus

Neandertals

Modern humans

Denisovans

~0.5

H. heidelbergensis

Dediu, D., & Levinson, S. C. (2013). On the antiquity of language. Frontiers in Language Sciences, 4:397.Klein, R. G. (2009). The Human Career: Human Biological and Cultural Origins (3rd edition). University of Chicago Press.Chomsky, N. (2010). Some simple evo devo theses: how true might they be for language. The evolution of human language: biolinguistic perspectives, 62:54–62.

Modern language

“Proto-language”

The “standard” view: language emerged recently and abruptly

Dan Dediu 101


1

012 mya

H. erectus

Neandertals

Modern humans

Denisovans

~0.5

H. heidelbergensis

Chomsky, N. (2010). Some simple evo devo theses: how true might they be for language. The evolution of human language: biolinguistic perspectives, 62:54–62.Bickerton, D. (2002). From protolanguage to language. In T. Crow (Ed.), The Speciation of Modern Homo Sapiens (pp. 103–120). Oxford: Ofxord University PressDonald, M. (1999). Les origines de l’esprit moderne: Trois étapes dans l’évolution de la culture et de la cognition. DeBoeck Université.

Modern language


The “standard” view: language emerged recently and abruptly

N. Chomsky

I. Tattersall

P. Lieberman

“Modern package”/“Modern human revolution”

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1

012 mya

H. erectus

Neandertals

Modern humans

Denisovans

~0.5

H. heidelbergensis

Dediu, D., & Levinson, S. C. (2013). On the antiquity of language. Frontiers in Language Sciences, 4:397.Frayer, D. W., Fiore, I., Lalueza-Fox, et al. (2012). Replay to Benítez-Burraco & Longa: When is enough, enough? Journal of Anthropological Sciences 90:1–6.D’ Errico, F., & Vanhaeren, M. (2009). Earliest personal ornaments and their significance for the origin of language debate. In R. Botha & C. Knight (Eds.) (pp. 16–40).

Modern language


The “alternative” view: language emerged early and gradually

E. Trinkaus

F. d'Errico

J. Zilhão

D. Frayer

S. Johansson

Dan Dediu 121

Compare the proposals, but...

1Dediu, D., & Levinson, S. C. (2013). On the antiquity of language. Frontiers in Language Sciences, 4:397.Johansson, S. (2013). The Talking Neanderthals: What do Fossils, Genetics and Archeology Say? Biolinguistics 7:35–70.

vs.

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… there is a heated debate raging

1Berwick, R. C., Hauser, M. D., & Tattersall, I. (2013). Neanderthal language? Just-so stories take center stage. Frontiers in Language Sciences 4:671. Frayer, D., Fiore, I. Lalueza-Fox, C....& Bondioli, L. (2012). Replay to Benítez-Burraco & Longa: When is enough, enough? Journal of Anthropological Sciences 90:1–6.Johansson, S. (2013). Neanderthals Between Man and Beast: A comment on the comments of Barceló-Coblijn & Benítez-Burraco (2013). Biolinguistics 7:217–227.

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Some strands of evidence

1

Ancient and modern DNA

Admixture Same biological species

Dediu, D., & Levinson, S. C. (2013). On the antiquity of language. Frontiers in Language Sciences, 4:397.Disotell, T. R. (2012). Archaic human genomics. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 149:24–39.

- hybridization- multiple definitions of “species”

→ BSC is what people think of→ on the verge of speciation

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1



Contested hybrid fossils

Dediu, D., & Levinson, S. C. (2013). On the antiquity of language. Frontiers in Language Sciences, 4:397.Disotell, T. R. (2012). Archaic human genomics. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 149:24–39.

- Abrigo do Lagar Vehlo (P)- Peştera cu Oase- Peştera Muierii (RO)- Mladeč (CZ)- Riparo Mezzena (IT)...

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1




Dediu, D., & Levinson, S. C. (2013). On the antiquity of language. Frontiers in Language Sciences, 4:397.Currat, M., & Excoffier, L. (2011). Strong reproductive isolation between humans and Neanderthals inferred from observed patterns of introgression. PNAS 108:15129.Neves, A. G. M., & Serva, M. (2012). Extremely Rare Interbreeding Events Can Explain Neanderthal DNA in Living Humans. PLoS ONE, 7:e47076.

More interesting question: what process?- long-term low intensity, or- very rare one-off

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1



FOXP2


Fisher, S., Vargha-Khadem, F., ... & Pembrey, M. (1998). Localisation of a gene implicated in a severe speech and language disorder. Nature Genetics 18:168–170.Lai, C., Fisher, S., Hurst, J., Vargha-Khadem, F., & Monaco, A. (2001). A forkhead-domain gene is mutated in a severe speech and language disorder. Nature, 413: 519–23.

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1



FOXP2


Lai, C., Fisher, S., Hurst, J., Vargha-Khadem, F., & Monaco, A. (2001). A forkhead-domain gene is mutated in a severe speech and language disorder. Nature 413: 519–23.Lee, T. I., & Young, R. A. (2013). Transcriptional regulation and its misregulation in disease. Cell 152:1237–1251.

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1



FOXP2


Spiteri, E., Konopka, G., Coppola, G., Bomar, J., … Geschwind, D. H. (2007). Identification of the Transcriptional Targets of FOXP2, a Gene Linked to Speech and Language, in Developing Human Brain. The American Journal of Human Genetics 81:1144–1157.

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1



FOXP2


Fisher, S., Vargha-Khadem, F., ... & Pembrey, M. (1998). Localisation of a gene implicated in a severe speech and language disorder. Nature Genetics 18:168–170.Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia (DVD); OMIM 602081

Multiple phenotypes:

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1



FOXP2


Enard, W., Gehre, S., Hammerschmidt, K., Hölter, S., … Pääbo, S. (2009). A Humanized Version of Foxp2 Affects Cortico-Basal Ganglia Circuits in Mice. Cell 137:961-971.Fisher, S. E., & Scharff, C. (2009). FOXP2 as a molecular window into speech and language. Trends Genet 25:166–177.


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1



FOXP2


Vernes, S., Oliver, P., Spiteri, E.,… Lowy, E. (2011). Foxp2 regulates gene networks implicated in neurite outgrowth in the developing brain. PLoS Genetics 7:e1002145.Groszer, M., Keays, D. A., Deacon, R. M. J., de Bono, J. P., Prasad-Mulcare, S., Gaub, S., … Fisher, S. E. (2008). Impaired Synaptic Plasticity and Motor Learning in Mice

with a Point Mutation Implicated in Human Speech Deficits. Current Biology 18:354–362.


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1



FOXP2


Liégeois, F., Morgan, A. T.,... Vargha-Khadem, F. (2011). Endophenotypes of FOXP2: Dysfunction within the human articulatory network. Eur. J. Paed. Neurol. 15:283–288. Pinel, P., Fauchereau, F., Moreno, A., … Dehaene, S. (2012). Genetic variants of FOXP2 and KIAA0319/TTRAP/THEM2 locus are associated with altered brain activation

in distinct language-related regions. J Neurosci 32:817–825.


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1



FOXP2


Shu, W., Lu, M. M., Zhang, Y., ... & Morrisey, E. E. (2007). Foxp2 and Foxp1 cooperatively regulate lung and esophagus development. Development 134:1991–2000.Spiteri, E., Konopka, G., Coppola, G., Bomar, J., Oldham, M., Ou, J., … Geschwind, D. H. (2007). Identification of the Transcriptional Targets of FOXP2, a Gene Linked to

Speech and Language, in Developing Human Brain. The American Journal of Human Genetics 81:1144–1157.


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1




Fisher, S. E. (2006). Tangled webs: tracing the connections between genes and cognition. Cognition 101:270–297. Fisher, S. E., & Scharff, C. (2009). FOXP2 as a molecular window into speech and language. Trends Genet 25:166–177.

Multiple phenotypes:FOXP2

FOXP2 is not “the” gene “for” language and speech

Simon Fisher

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1




Enard, W., Przeworski, M., Fisher, S. E., Lai, C. S. L., Wiebe, V., Kitano, T., … Pääbo, S. (2002). Molecular evolution of FOXP2, a gene involved in speech and language. Nature 418:869–872.

Zhang, J., Webb, D. M., & Podlaha, O. (2002). Accelerated protein evolution and origins of human-specific features: Foxp2 as an example. Genetics 162:1825–1835.

FOXP2

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1



+ two “human-specific” AAs on same haplotype

FOXP2


Krause, J., Lalueza-Fox, C., … Pääbo, S. (2007). The Derived FOXP2 Variant of Modern Humans Was Shared with Neandertals. Current Biology 17:1908–1912.

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1



+ two “human-specific” AAs on same haplotype– intron 8 (POU3F2 binding) → ancestral allele: Africa

FOXP2


Maricic, T., Günther, V., … Pääbo, S. (2013). A Recent Evolutionary Change Affects a Regulatory Element in the Human FOXP2 Gene. Molecular Biol. Evol. 30: 844–852.

Dan Dediu 291


1




FOXP2

CNTNAP2

MEF2A – developmental plasticity?


Rodenas-Cuadrado, P., Ho, J., & Vernes, S. C. (2013). Shining a light on CNTNAP2: complex functions to complex disorders. European Journal of Human Genetics.Whitehouse, A. J. O., Bishop, D. V. M., Ang, Q. W., Pennell, C. E., & Fisher, S. E. (2011). CNTNAP2 variants affect early language development in the general population.

Genes, Brain, and Behavior 10:451–456.

- downregulated ↓ by FOXP2- neurexin family- involved in autism, SLI,

normal language variation,language development...

Dan Dediu 301


1




FOXP2

CNTNAP2 – coding change (Ile → Val) → functional?



Somel, M., Liu, X., & Khaitovich, P. (2013). Human brain evolution: transcripts, metabolites and their regulators. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 14:112–127.Rodenas-Cuadrado, P., Ho, J., & Vernes, S. C. (2013). Shining a light on CNTNAP2: complex functions to complex disorders. European Journal of Human Genetics.

Dan Dediu 311


1




FOXP2

CNTNAP2 – coding change (Ile → Val) → functional?



Somel, M., Liu, X., & Khaitovich, P. (2013). Human brain evolution: transcripts, metabolites and their regulators. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 14:112–127.

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1Dediu, D., & Levinson, S. C. (2013). On the antiquity of language. Frontiers in Language Sciences, 4:397.

][

][ ?

vs.

Dan Dediu 331


1

Anatomy & development

Partly due to lifestyle differences

Dediu, D., & Levinson, S. C. (2013). On the antiquity of language. Frontiers in Language Sciences, 4:397.

][

Dan Dediu 341


1



Birth canalDental

eruption

Prolongedchildhood

MEF2A~0.5mya

Weaver, T. D., & Hublin, J.-J. (2009). Neandertal birth canal shape and the evolution of human childbirth. PNAS 106:8151–8156.Castro, J. M. B. de, Martinón-Torres, M., … Carbonell, E. (2010). New immature hominin fossil from European Lower Pleistocene shows the earliest evidence of a modern

human dental development pattern. PNAS, 107:11739–11744.

][

Dan Dediu 35

comparablebrain size

1


1



Birth canalDental

eruption

Prolongedchildhood

MEF2A~0.5mya

Klein, R. G. (2009). The Human Career: Human Biological and Cultural Origins (3rd edition). University of Chicago Press.

][

Dan Dediu 361


1



Birth canalDental

eruption

Prolongedchildhood

MEF2A~0.5mya

occipitalbunlarger

eyes

comparablebrain size

Cognition?Neural organization?

Pearce, E., Stringer, C., & Dunbar, R. I. M. (2013). New insights into differences in brain organization between Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans. Proc. Royal Soc. B: Biological Sciences 280.

][

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][[ ]

][ ?[ ]

vs.

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1

Vocal production & perception

Tuning production ↔ perception

Kojima, S. (1990). Comparison of auditory functions in the chimpanzee and human. Folia Primatol 55:62–72.

][[ ]

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1



Audiograms

modern human

chimp

Increasedsensitivity

H. heidel bergensis

Martínez, I., Rosa, M., … Carbonell, E. (2004). Auditory capacities in Middle Pleistocene humans from the Sierra de Atapuerca in Spain. PNAS 101: 9976–9981.Martínez, I., Rosa, M., Quam, R., … Arsuaga, J. L. (2013). Communicative capacities in Middle Pleistocene humans from the Sierra de Atapuerca in Spain. Quaternary

International 295:94–101

][[ ]

Dan Dediu 401


1



Audiograms

Modern humans

Early modern humans

Neandertal

Ear ossicles

Chimp P. robustus

Quam, R., & Rak, Y. (2008). Auditory ossicles from southwest Asian Mousterian sites. Journal of Human Evolution 54:414 – 433. Quam, R. M., Ruiter, D. J. de, Masali, M., Arsuaga, J.-L., Martínez, I., & Moggi-Cecchi, J. (2013). Early hominin auditory ossicles from South Africa. PNAS 110:8847–8851.

][[ ]

Incus:

Dan Dediu 411


1



Audiograms

Ear ossicles

Hyoid bone

][[ ]

Dan Dediu 421


1



Audiograms

Ear ossicles

Lieberman, P., & Crelin, E. S. (1971). On the speech of Neanderthal man. Linguistic Inquiry 2:203–222.

][[ ]

Hyoid bone

Dan Dediu 431


1



Audiograms

Ear ossicles

Lieberman, P., & Crelin, E. S. (1971). On the speech of Neanderthal man. Linguistic Inquiry 2:203–222.Boer, B. de. (2009). Acoustic analysis of primate air sacs and their effect on vocalization. J Acoust Soc Am 126:3329–3343.

][[ ]

Hyoid bone

air sacks

Dan Dediu 441


1



Audiograms

Ear ossicles

Hyoid bone

Arensburg, B., Tillier, A. M., Vandermeersch, B., Duday, H., Schepartz, L. A., & Rak, Y. (1989). A Middle Palaeolithic human hyoid bone. Nature 338:758–760.Martínez, I., Arsuaga, J. L., ... Rodríguez, L. (2008). Human hyoid bones from the middle Pleistocene site of the Sima de los Huesos. Journal of Human Evol. 54:118–124.D’Anastasio, R., Wroe, S., … Capasso, L. (2013). Micro-Biomechanics of the Kebara 2 Hyoid and Its Implications for Speech in Neanderthals. PLoS ONE 8:e82261.

][[ ]

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1



Audiograms

Ear ossicles

Hyoid bone

Breathing control

MacLarnon, A. M., & Hewitt, G. P. (1999). The evolution of human speech: the role of enhanced breathing control. American journal of physical anthropology 109:341–363.

][[ ]

Dan Dediu 461


1



Audiograms

Ear ossicles

Hyoid bone

Breathing control

All for singing?

Mithen, S. (2005). The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind and Body. Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

][[ ]

Dan Dediu 471



][[ ]

][ ?[ ]

vs.

Dan Dediu 481


1

Symbolic behaviour

Extremely difficult and controversial

“Modern human revolution”

Chomsky, N. (2010). Some simple evo devo theses: how true might they be for language. The evolution of human language: biolinguistic perspectives, 62:54–62.

][[ ]

“a rewiring of the brain took place in some individual, call him Prometheus, yielding the operation of unbounded Merge, applying to concepts with intricate (and little understood) properties…” (Chomsky, 2010)

Dan Dediu 491


1

Symbolic behaviour



Chomsky, N. (2010). Some simple evo devo theses: how true might they be for language. The evolution of human language: biolinguistic perspectives, 62:54–62.

][[ ]

Dan Dediu 501


1

Symbolic behaviour



McBrearty, S., & Brooks, A. S. (2000). The revolution that wasn’t: a new interpretation of the origins of modern human behavior. Journal of Human Evolution 39:453–563.Henshilwood, C. S., & Marean, C. W. (2003). The origin of modern human behavior - Critique of the models and their test implications. Current Anthropology 44:627–651.

][[ ]

Dan Dediu 511


1

Symbolic behaviour


Complex toolkit (Mousterian): bone, wood, strings...

Thieme, H. (1997). Lower Palaeolithic hunting spears from Germany. Nature 385:807 – 810. Hardy, B. L., Moncel, M.-H., Daujeard, C., … Gallotti, R. (2013). Impossible Neanderthals? Making string, throwing projectiles and catching small game during Marine

Isotope Stage 4 (Abri du Maras, France). Quaternary Science Reviews 82:23–40.


][[ ]

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1

Symbolic behaviour



Intentional burial, grave offerings

Sick & infirm, medicinal plants

Pettitt, P. B. (2002). The Neanderthal dead: exploring mortuary variability in Middle Palaeolithic Eurasia. Before Farming 1:1–19.Spikins, P. A., Rutherford, H. E., & Needham, A. P. (2010). From Homininity to Humanity: Compassion from the Earliest Archaics to Modern Humans. Time and Mind

3:303–325.


][[ ]

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1

Symbolic behaviour





Body ornaments: ocher, beads, art

D’ Errico, F., & Soressi, M. (2002). Systematic use of manganese pigment by the Pech-de-l’Azé Neandertals. Journal of Human Evolution 42:A13.Pike, A. W. G., Hoffmann, D. L., … Zilhão, J. (2012). U-Series Dating of Paleolithic Art in 11 Caves in Spain. Science 336:1409–1413.Peresani, M., Vanhaeren, M., ... d’ Errico, F. (2013). An Ochered Fossil Marine Shell From the Mousterian of Fumane Cave, Italy. PLoS ONE 8:e68572.


][[ ]

Dan Dediu 541


1

Symbolic behaviour






Archaeological absence ⇒ absence of capacity!

Speth, J. D. (2004). News flash: Negative evidence convicts Neanderthals of gross mental incompetence. World Archaeology, 36, 519–526.Henrich, J. (2004). Demography and Cultural Evolution: How Adaptive Cultural Processes can Produce Maladaptive Losses: The Tasmanian Case. American Antiquity

69:197–214.


][[ ]

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1

Symbolic behaviour






Frayer, D. W., Lozano, M., Bermúdez de Castro, J. M., Carbonell, E., … Bondioli, L. (2012). More than 500,000 years of right-handedness in Europe. Laterality 17:51–69. Volpato, V., Macchiarelli, R., … & Frayer, D. W. (2012). Hand to Mouth in a Neandertal: Right-Handedness in Regourdou 1. PLoS ONE 7:e43949.


][[ ]

Handedness

Archaeological absence ⇒ absence of capacity!

Dan Dediu 561



][[ ]

[ ]

][ ?[ ]

[ ] ?

vs.

Dan Dediu 571


1Dediu, D., & Levinson, S. C. (2013). On the antiquity of language. Frontiers in Language Sciences, 4:397.Johansson, S. (2013). The Talking Neanderthals: What do Fossils, Genetics and Archeology Say? Biolinguistics 7:35–70.Frayer, D., Fiore, I., Lalueza-Fox, C.... & Bondioli, L. (2012). Replay to Benítez-Burraco & Longa: When is enough, enough? Journal of Anthropological Sciences 90:1–6.

][[ ]

[ ]

][ ?[ ]

[ ] ?

Dan Dediu 581

If language & speech are old...

1

Recognizably modern speech and language (not “proto-language”) ~ 0.5mya

Cultural contact:

Châtelperronian

Bone tools (lissoir)

Limited genetic contact:

Hublin, J.-J., Talamo, S., … Richards, M. P. (2012). Radiocarbon dates from the Grotte du Renne and Saint-Cesaire support a Neandertal origin for the Chatelperronian. PNAS 109:18743–18748.

Soressi, M., McPherron, S. P., … Texier, J.-P. (2013). Neandertals made the first specialized bone tools in Europe. PNAS 110:14186–14190.

][[ ]

[ ]

Dan Dediu 591

… what can we say about them?

1

Language:

● small communities → complex languages?

Dediu, D., & Levinson, S. C. (2013). On the antiquity of language. Frontiers in Language Sciences, 4:397.Lupyan, G., & Dale, R. (2010). Language Structure Is Partly Determined by Social Structure. PLoS ONE 5:e8559.

][[ ]

[ ]

Log Population Size

Dan Dediu 601


1

Language:


● ASPM, MCPH1

Dediu, D., & Levinson, S. C. (2013). On the antiquity of language. Frontiers in Language Sciences, 4:397.Dediu, D., & Ladd, D. R. (2007). Linguistic tone is related to the population frequency of the adaptive haplogroups of two brain size genes, ASPM and Microcephalin. PNAS

104:10944–9.

D. Robert Ladd

][[ ]

[ ]

Dan Dediu 611


1

Language:


● ASPM, MCPH1

Dediu, D., & Levinson, S. C. (2013). On the antiquity of language. Frontiers in Language Sciences, 4:397.Dediu, D., & Ladd, D. R. (2007). Linguistic tone is related to the population frequency of the adaptive haplogroups of two brain size genes, ASPM and Microcephalin. PNAS

104:10944–9.

][[ ]

[ ]

MC

PH

1-D

ASPM-D

Dan Dediu 621


1

Language:


● ASPM, MCPH1 → tone languages?


][[ ]

[ ]

Dan Dediu 631


1

Language:


● ASPM, MCPH1 → tone languages?

● linguistic contact (borrowing)?


][[ ]

[ ]

Seán RobertsLanguage and Cognition

Harald HammarströmLanguage and Cognition

Dan Dediu 641

Language contact?

1Roberts, S., Dediu, D. & Levinson, S.C. (in preparation). Detecting differences between the languages of Neandertals and modern humans.

DNA

Neandertal signal

Denisova signal

Dan Dediu 651

Language contact?


Language

Dan Dediu 661

Language contact?


Language

??

Dan Dediu 671

Language contact?

1Roberts, S., Dediu, D. & Levinson, S.C. (in preparation). Detecting differences between the languages of Neandertals and modern humans.Dediu, D., & Levinson, S. C. (2013). On the antiquity of language. Frontiers in Language Sciences, 4:397.

Language

Possible scenarios:1. Language extinction

Dan Dediu 681

Language contact?


Language

Possible scenarios:1. Language extinction2. Language shift

Dan Dediu 691

Language contact?


Language

Possible scenarios:1. Language extinction2. Language shift3. Pidginization

Dan Dediu 701

Language contact?


Language

Possible scenarios:1. Language extinction2. Language shift3. Pidginization4. Borrowing

Dan Dediu 711

Language contact?

1

Linguistic borrowing → structural differences between African/non-African(and possibly Australian+Papuan/non-AuPNG) languages

Roberts, S., Dediu, D. & Levinson, S.C. (in preparation). Detecting differences between the languages of Neandertals and modern humans.

Linguisticstructure

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Why would all this matter?

1

Language sciences:

- recent sudden origins model is dominant

- language as monolithic and special with

Merge (recursion) as the “secret ingredient”

→ reinforced by and reinforcing a speciation model for

modern humans

Chomsky, N. (2010). Some simple evo devo theses: how true might they be for language. The Evolution of Human Language: Biolinguistic Perspectives 62:54–62.Hauser, M. D., Chomsky, N., & Fitch, W. T. (2002). The Faculty of Language: What Is It, Who Has It, and How Did It Evolve? Science 298:1569–1579. Berwick, R. C., Friederici, A. D., Chomsky, N., & Bolhuis, J. J. (2013). Evolution, brain, and the nature of language. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 17:89–98.

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1

Language sciences:

- recent sudden origins model is dominant

- language as monolithic and special with

Merge (recursion) as the “secret ingredient”

→ reinforced by and reinforcing a speciation model for

modern humans

- but this seems implausible given evolutionary theory and genetics of language

Dediu, D., & Levinson, S. C. (2013). On the antiquity of language: the reinterpretation of Neandertal linguistic capacities and its consequences. Frontiers in Language Sciences 4:397.

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Linguistic diversity:

- exploration of the design space

Dediu, D., Cysouw, M., Levinson, S.C., Baronchelli, A., Christiansen, M.H., Croft, W., … Lieven, E. (2013). Cultural evolution of language. In Richerson, P.J. & Christiansen, M.H. (Eds.), Cultural evolution: Society, technology, language, and religion (Vol. 12, pp. 303–332). Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.

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1



- was there enough time? → rates of language evolution (structural stability)

- most features seem pretty labile

- but some seem very stable (e.g., parts of basic vocabulary, structural features)

Dunn, M., Levinson, S. C., Lindström, E., Reesink, G., & Terrill, A. (2008). Structural Phylogeny in Historical Linguistics. Language 84:710–759.Pagel, M., Atkinson, Q. D., & Meade, A. (2007). Frequency of word-use predicts rates of lexical evolution throughout Indo-European history. Nature 449:717–721.Greenhill, S. J., Atkinson, Q. D., Meade, A., & Gray, R. D. (2010). The shape and tempo of language evolution. Proc. R. Soc. B 277:2443–2450.

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Dediu, D. (2011). A Bayesian phylogenetic approach to estimating the stability of linguistic features and the genetic biasing of tone. Proc R Soc B 278:474–479.Dediu, D., & Levinson, S. C. (2012). Abstract Profiles of Structural Stability Point to Universal Tendencies, Family-Specific Factors, and Ancient Connections

between Languages. PLoS ONE 7:e45198.

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→ Neandertal languages – independent exploration of the (same?) design space

– injected diversity into modern human languages?

Dediu, D., & Levinson, S. C. (2013). On the antiquity of language: the reinterpretation of Neandertal linguistic capacities and its consequences. Frontiers in Language Sciences 4:397.

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Testing this using present-daylinguistic diversity


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Conclusions

σ

onset nucleus coda

rhyme

Thank you!Acknowledgments: Steve Levinson, Bob Ladd, Simon Fisher, Didier Demolin, Bart de Boer, Sean Roberts,Asifa Majid, Mark Dingemanse, Sonja Vernes, Harald Hammarström, Kenny Smith, Heriberto Avelino,Scott Moisik, Rick Janssen & the Language and Genetics department

Funded by Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research ( ) VIDI grant 276-70-022

Language is old...

… and it does matter

Documents

Did the Neandert als talk and why would it matter?h · reduced fertility in male hybrids (X chr.) ... vs. Dan Dediu 1 3 1 ... Simon Fisher. Dan Dediu 2 6 1 Some strands of evidence