On the relation of speech to language

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Cognitive Science
• Evolutionary Biology

Background:

• Two theories exist on speech-language relationship: conventional (sounds, separate processes) and unconventional (gestures, inherent linguistic function).
• The conventional view posits that motor and perceptual speech elements require cognitive processing to become linguistically relevant.
• The unconventional view proposes speech elements are inherently linguistic articulatory gestures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate two divergent theories on the relationship between speech and language.
• To determine which theory offers more plausible explanations for key aspects of speech.
• To explore the linguistic nature of speech elements.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of two theories regarding speech production and perception.
• Evaluation of each theory's explanatory power for evolutionary parity, semantic capacity, and biological properties.
• Focus on the nature of speech elements as sounds versus articulatory gestures.

Main Results:

• The unconventional theory, viewing speech elements as articulatory gestures, provides more plausible answers to critical questions.
• This gesture-based view explains the evolutionary parity between speakers and listeners.
• It also better accounts for speech's unique ability to encode infinite meanings and its biological advantages over alphabetic transcription.

Conclusions:

• Articulatory gestures are the primary elements of speech, inherently linguistic.
• The unconventional theory offers a more robust framework for understanding speech's fundamental properties and evolution.
• Speech's biological basis is better explained by its nature as gestures than as mere sounds.