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