Towards an evolutionary theory of language

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary biology
• Linguistics
• Cognitive science

Background:

• Human language is a unique biological trait with profound evolutionary implications.
• Understanding the origins of language is a key challenge in evolutionary biology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how natural selection shapes fundamental features of human language.
• To explore the emergence of arbitrary signs, words, syntax, and grammar.
• To present a framework for studying the cultural and biological evolution of grammar.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical modeling of natural selection's role in language emergence.
• Analysis of the duality of patterning in phoneme-to-word and word-to-sentence formation.
• Development of a population dynamics framework for grammar acquisition.

Main Results:

• Natural selection can guide the emergence of key linguistic components like arbitrary signs and grammar.
• Demonstration of how natural selection leads to the duality of patterning in language.
• A framework is established for analyzing the co-evolution of grammar and language acquisition.

Conclusions:

• Natural selection is a plausible mechanism for the evolution of core language features.
• The duality of patterning is a selectable linguistic structure.
• The proposed framework facilitates research into the evolutionary trajectory of human language and universal grammar.