Where Language Came From
Speech leaves no fossils, so evidence is indirect.
- Anatomy. The human larynx sits lower than other primates', enlarging the vowel space. This creates a choking risk, suggesting selection for speech.
- Genetics. The FOXP2 gene was identified in the KE family, where a single mutation caused severe speech disorders.
- Archaeology. Symbolic artefacts like beads and engravings serve as proxies for symbolic capacity.
Theoretical Debates
- gesture-first: Language began with manual signs and shifted to speech.
- vocal continuity: Language evolved directly from primate vocal calls.
- suddenly: Language appeared via a single mutation for recursion.
- gradually: Language evolved in small steps over time.
Overall, the origin of language remains underdetermined by the evidence.
Does Language Shape Thought?
The Sapir–Whorf hypothesis contains two distinct claims:
- Linguistic determinism: Language determines what you can think. This strong claim is largely abandoned.
- Linguistic relativity: Language influences habitual patterns of thought. This weaker claim has empirical support.
| Domain | Finding |
|---|---|
| Colour | Berlin and Kay found terms emerge in a fixed order. Languages have between 2 and 11 basic terms. |
| Colour, revisited | Russian distinguishes light and dark blue. Russian speakers discriminate this boundary faster than English speakers. |
| Space | Guugu Yimithirr uses cardinal directions, promoting constant spatial orientation. |
| Grammatical gender | Gendered nouns subtly bias descriptive adjectives, though effects are small. |
The Russian colour effect vanishes when speakers are given a verbal task at the same time. This shows language acts as an online tool rather than rewiring perception.
Common pitfall: The myth about words for snow. Counting vocabulary is not evidence for altered perception.