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Language as a coordination tool evolves slowly.
Tamas David-Barrett1, Robin I M Dunbar2
1Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3UD, UK; Facultad de Gobierno, CICS, Universidad del Desarrollo, Av. Plaza 680, San Carlos de Apoquindo, Las Condes, Santiago de Chile 7610658, Chile; Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Kiellinie 66, 24105 Kiel, Germany; Population Research Institute, Väestöliitto, Kalevankatu 16, Helsinki 00101, Finland.
Royal Society Open Science
|January 14, 2017
Summary
Efficient communication evolved in humans due to the need for social coordination. This evolution was slow initially but accelerated once a basic level of language competence was reached, benefiting group behavior.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Cognitive science
- Anthropology
Background:
- Social living requires effective coordination among group members.
- Communication is essential for enabling coordinated behavior.
- The evolution of human language is a key area of scientific inquiry.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of communication efficiency as a selection pressure in human language evolution.
- To model the impact of communication efficiency on social group coordination.
- To understand the dynamics of language evolution in social contexts.
Main Methods:
- Development of a behavioral coordination model.
- Simulation of group interactions with varying communication efficiencies.
- Analysis of selection pressures favoring efficient communication.
Main Results:
- Efficient communication is selected for when language production is costly but coordination benefits are high.
- The evolution of efficient communication is initially slow due to the lack of individual advantage for exceeding community norms.
- A threshold in communication competence can lead to rapid advancement in higher-order language skills.
Conclusions:
- Communication efficiency is a significant factor in the evolution of human language.
- The evolutionary trajectory of language involves an initial slow phase followed by potential rapid development.
- Understanding these dynamics provides insights into human social behavior and cognitive evolution.
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