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Self domestication and the evolution of language.

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Self-domestication is key to language evolution, shifting focus from genetics to the evolutionary origins of learning and inferring communicative intent. This highlights how cultural transmission shapes language structure.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Linguistics
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Language structure is often viewed through a genetic lens.
  • Cultural transmission offers an alternative framework for understanding language evolution.
  • Previous research has not fully explored the role of domestication in language origins.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a new framework for understanding language evolution through self-domestication.
  • To identify key precursor traits enabling cultural evolution of language.
  • To examine evidence from comparative case studies.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical analysis of cultural evolution and self-domestication.
  • Comparative study of communication in domesticated species (Bengalese finch, domestic dog).
  • Re-evaluation of biological evolution's role in language origins.

Main Results:

  • Language structure emerges from cultural transmission, not solely genetic selection.
  • Key precursor traits for language are learning and inferring communicative intent.
  • Domestication provides a model for the evolution of these precursor traits.

Conclusions:

  • Self-domestication is a crucial factor in the evolution of language.
  • The biological evolution of language is best understood by examining the origins of traits that facilitate cultural evolution.
  • Understanding domestication sheds light on the human capacity for language.