Language evolution, by exaptation, with the mind leading
心智所引导的通过扩展适应的语言演化

Salikoko S. Mufwene

Abstract 摘要
It has usually been claimed that language is what makes humans uniquely human. However, I submit that it is the mind as a general problem-solving capacity for adaptations to current ecological pressures that makes humans uniquely humans. Non-linguistic communication may have provided part of the ecological niche for the emergence of languages, having predisposed hominines to pay attention to each other and to read each other’s mind. The same mind that produced all these new developments (in particular complex social life and a richer cognitive capacity) also enabled hominines to develop languages as communication technologies.

一个通常的说法是语言使得人成为独特的人类。然而，我认为是作为适应当前生态压力而具有的一般问题解决能力的心智才使得人成为独特的人类。非语言的交流也许为语言的涌现提供了部分的生态挈机，预先使得类人相互注意并能了解彼此的意图。心智导致所有这些新的发展（尤其是复杂的社交生活与更丰富的认知能力），进而使得类人把语言发展成为交际技术。

Article 文章

<< Back 返回

Readers 读者