For many years, theorizing about language evolution was banned from the scientific discourse. Thus, only little research in this field had been developed up to the beginning of the last century.
Nowadays, however, the research of the origins of language has achieved a very high status in numerous fields and not only linguists are the leading research-workers anymore.
This essay presents some of the recent attempts to explain the evolution of language and especially clarifies the difficulties that come about when tackling this problem.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- INTRODUCTION
- WHAT IS LANGUAGE?
- Words
- Grammar
- FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OF LANGUAGE.
- UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR
- THE COMMON ANCESTOR OF HUMANS
- What are primates?
- Relationships between primates
- Nutrition as an influencing factor
- Brain growth
- The growth of the human brain (and the giraffe's neck)
- The delusion of brain-growth
- LANGUAGE
- An intermediary phase between nonlanguage and language.
- The first utterance
- The presence of syntax
- Evolution and the pattern of Noam Chomsky.
- CONCLUSION
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This term paper explores the evolution of language, focusing on recent attempts to explain its origins and complexities. It aims to clarify the difficulties encountered when tackling this problem, emphasizing the importance of understanding what language actually is before investigating its evolution.
- The nature of language and its defining characteristics
- The role of grammar and syntax in language development
- The connection between primate evolution and human language capabilities
- The significance of brain growth and its relation to language evolution
- The interplay of various scientific disciplines in understanding language evolution
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter emphasizes the historical significance and challenges associated with researching language evolution, highlighting its crucial role in human advancement and the diverse fields of study involved.
- What is language?: This section delves into the fundamental nature of language, defining it as the creation of sound pictures through human communication. It explores the physical components necessary for speech production and the essential principles of word formation and grammar that enable communication.
- Words: This chapter focuses on the concept of words as arbitrary signs, exploring the relationship between signal and concept within a linguistic community. It discusses the mental lexicon and the bidirectional nature of word comprehension and production.
- Grammar: This section examines the role of grammar in language, emphasizing its conceptual categories and ability to express a wide range of ideas. It explores various grammatical components such as syntax, morphology, and phonology.
- The Common Ancestor of Humans: This chapter explores the evolutionary lineage of humans, examining the characteristics and relationships between primates. It investigates the potential influence of nutrition and brain growth on language development.
- Language: This section examines the transition from nonlanguage to language, exploring the first utterances, the presence of syntax, and the evolutionary patterns proposed by Noam Chomsky.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This term paper explores key concepts related to language evolution, including: language, grammar, syntax, morphology, phonology, primate evolution, brain growth, communication, and linguistic community.
- Citation du texte
- Stefanie Wagenbrenner (Auteur), 2007, The evolution of language - an unsolvable mystery?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/84311
