the mystery of language evolution. tinbergen's four questions proximate view how an individual...

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The mystery of language evolution

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Page 1: The mystery of language evolution. Tinbergen's four questions Proximate view How an individual organism's structures function: Ontogeny: Developmental

The mystery of language evolution

Page 2: The mystery of language evolution. Tinbergen's four questions Proximate view How an individual organism's structures function: Ontogeny: Developmental

Tinbergen's four questions

Proximate viewHow an individual organism's structures function:

• Ontogeny: Developmental explanations for changes in individuals, from the molecular interactions to their form.

• Mechanism (causation): Mechanistic explanations for how an organism's organs work

Evolutionary (ultimate) viewWhy a species evolved the structures (adaptations) it has.

• Phylogeny: The history of the evolution of sequential changes in a species over many generations.

• Adaptation (function): A species trait that solves a reproductive or survival problem in the current environment

Page 3: The mystery of language evolution. Tinbergen's four questions Proximate view How an individual organism's structures function: Ontogeny: Developmental

• Ontogeny: Developmental explanations for changes in individuals, from the molecular interactions to their form.

• Mechanism (causation): Mechanistic explanations for how an organism's organs work

Proximate explanations to how language occurs are well known

Page 4: The mystery of language evolution. Tinbergen's four questions Proximate view How an individual organism's structures function: Ontogeny: Developmental

Somatosensory representation of the human body in the cortex

Page 5: The mystery of language evolution. Tinbergen's four questions Proximate view How an individual organism's structures function: Ontogeny: Developmental
Page 6: The mystery of language evolution. Tinbergen's four questions Proximate view How an individual organism's structures function: Ontogeny: Developmental

Figure 4.1: Simplified hominin phylogeny. After Lewin and Foley (2004) p. 17

Page 7: The mystery of language evolution. Tinbergen's four questions Proximate view How an individual organism's structures function: Ontogeny: Developmental

Evolutionary (ultimate) viewWhy a species evolved the structures (adaptations) it has.

• Phylogeny: The history of the evolution of sequential changes in a species over many generations.

• Adaptation (function): A species trait that solves a reproductive or survival problem in the current environment

Barney et al, 2011

Page 8: The mystery of language evolution. Tinbergen's four questions Proximate view How an individual organism's structures function: Ontogeny: Developmental
Page 9: The mystery of language evolution. Tinbergen's four questions Proximate view How an individual organism's structures function: Ontogeny: Developmental
Page 10: The mystery of language evolution. Tinbergen's four questions Proximate view How an individual organism's structures function: Ontogeny: Developmental

The authors focus on 4 domains of inquiry to discuss if they contribute to theories of language evolution.

Animal studies Paleontology and archaeology

Molecular Biology Modelling

Page 11: The mystery of language evolution. Tinbergen's four questions Proximate view How an individual organism's structures function: Ontogeny: Developmental