Donald

Donald on the Evolution of Language

Symbolic Representation

Principal Cognitive Signature Of Humans

Main Phenomenon To Be Accounted For In Any Theory Of Human Evolution

Donald’s Basic Position

Chronology, Succession And Transition. Two Major Breakpoint In Hominid Cognitive Evolution,

Homo Erectus (About -1.5 M Years)

Archaic Homo Sapiens (Roughly -0.3 M Years)

Series Of Radical Evolutionary Changes-Hard Choices--

Late-Language Model Near End Of Human Evolution Rather Than Much Earlier (E.G., Bickerton (1990))

Lexically-Driven Model Of Language Evolution
Rather Than

phonology: Lieberman (1984)

grammar: Bickerton (1990)

Capacity For Lexical Invention

Instrument Powerful Enough To Support All Of Higher Aspects Of Language.

Summary of Donald’s Argument

Three Major Cognitive Transformations

New, uniquely human systems of memory representation

New human cultures

1) Mimetic Skill and Autocueing

2) Lexical Invention (Language)

3) Externalization of Memory (Writing Systems)

The Starting Point:
The Abilities Of Apes

Apes Are Brilliant Event-Perceivers

Significance Of Environmental Events

Significant Capacity For

Complex Social Organizations

Social Attribution, Insight, And Deception

Theory Of Mind

Dunbar’s Focus On Primate Social Behavior And Organization

The Starting Point:
The Abilities Of Apes (Cont.)

Apes Have Episodic Memory

But Very Poor Episodic Recall

Largely Environmentally-Driven

No Voluntarily Access To Episodic Memories Independent Of Environmental Cues

Lack Metacognitive Abilities

Do Not Invent Signs On Their Own;

Self-Cued Rehearsal And Purposive Refinement Of One's Own Skill Are Impossible

Note the Importance of Refinement In Cognition

First Transition: Mimetic Skill And Autocueing

Must First Gain A Degree Of Control Over Own Memory and Actions Before Can

Create and Use Language

Invent New Words

Invent Grammars Governing Use Of Words.

Voluntary Retrieval and Production of Stored Motor (Action) Memories

Retrieval Had To Become Independent Of Environmental Cueing

Based on Capacity For Actively Modeling And Modifying Their Own Movement

Mimetic Action

Basically A Talent For Using The Whole Body As A Communication Device

Translating Event-Perceptions Into Action

Any Voluntary Action Of The Body Can Be Stopped, Replayed, And Edited, Under Conscious Control

Principle Of Voluntary Retrievability,

"Autocueing"

Only Humans Can Recall Memories At Will

Most Basic Form Of Human Recall Is The Self-Triggered Rehearsal Of Action,

Refinement Of Action By Purposive Repetition

Cultural and Social Implications Of Mimetic Action

Allow A Dramatic Increase In

Variability Of Facial, Vocal, And Whole-Body Expressions

Range Of Potential Interactive Scenarios Between Pairs Of Individuals

Impact On Social Organization (Dunbar)

Increased Selection Pressure For The Early Improvement Of Mimetic Vocalization,

Consciences Control Of Expressions And Actions

Sharing And Cultural Diffusion.

Instrumental Skills

Improved Tool Making

Some Degree Of Quasi-Symbolic Communication

Basis Of The First Truly Distinctive Hominid Cultures

Social Coordination

Moving A Seasonal Base Camp

Pursuing A Long Hunt

Second Transition: The Ability to Invent New Words

Not Yet Understood In Terms Of Mechanism

Invention Of A Symbol Is A Complex Process

Labeling And Differentiating Our Perceptions And Conceptions Of The World

The need to define and redefine our maps of meaning onto word forms--is more fundamental and considerably less rigid than the specific forms and rules of language at any given moment.

The Phonological Adaptation

A Specialized Mimetic Subsystem That Supported The Primary Adaptation, Lexical Invention.

***Phonology Has The Same Basic Properties As All Mimetic Action,

Rehearsability

Autocueing

Purposive Refinement

Without Ability to Invent New Words It Is Doubtful Whether Humans Would Have Been Subjected To Selection Pressures Favoring Such A Powerful Phonological System.

Importance Of Phonology Should Not Be Underestimated.

Is Fast

Highly Portable

Less Likely To Interfere With Locomotion Or Praxis:

Works At A Distance And In The Dark (Dunbar)

Generate A Virtually Infinite Number Of Easily Retrievable Sound- Patterns For Symbolic Use

Grammar And Metalinguistic Skill

Main Issue

Does Grammar Require A Separate Adaptation In Addition To Phonology And Lexical Invention?

Invention And Transmission Of Grammar And The Metalinguistic Skills That Support Extended Discourse

The Neurological Case For A Separate Grammar Module Is Weakened By Recent Cross-Linguistic Studies Of Aphasia

Strongly Suggest That There Is No Specific Brain Lesion, Nor Any Specific Pattern Of Grammatical Deficit

There Wasn't Enough Time In The Human Story For More Radical Cognitive Adaptations

Put Lexical Invention Late, AND

There Doesn't Seem To Be Enough Time To Allow For A Second Adaptation For Grammar.

Sociocultural Ramifications.

Oral Language Remains Focused On The Human World, Particularly On Relationships (Dunbar, 1993)

Narrative Thought

Dunbar (1993) Has Argued That The Normal Social Use Of Language Is Storytelling About Other People-- Gossip--And Has Produced Observational Data To Prove This.

All Documented Human Societies, Even The Most Technologically Primitive, Have Elaborate Systems Of Myth, Which Appears To Reflect The Earliest Form Of Integrative Thought.

Building Models of the World...

Third Transition: Externalization of Memory

Driven Primarily by Technological,
Rather Than Biological Developments

Developed Three New Representational Devices.

Visuosymbolic Invention

Art to pictograms to numbers to writing systems

External Memory

Scientific Theories

Argument for grouping together into a so-called "Third Transition" is Structural

New Properties.

Internal Symbolic Storage Systems

Actual physical storage of collective knowledge depended on individual memory

Limitation of working memory

Limitation of long term memory

Mnemonic systems (e.g., ballads and epic poems)

External Symbolic Storage Systems

Allow humans to circumvent memory limitations

Creating a wide range of new storage, retrieval and processing possibilities

Roles of powerful external symbol systems

Numbers

Logic

Higher mathematics

Computer languages

Chemical formulas and notations

Circuit diagrams

Music

Maps

Etc......

Changed Role of Biological Memory.

External memory devices changes use of human working and long term memory.

In preliterate cultures this was all humans had to work with, and its limitations are well documented.

Variety of social arrangements and mnemonic skills to maintain accumulating knowledge-base

rote verbal recitation, preferably in groups

specialized individuals whose task was to learn and retain knowledge (for instance, shamans and bards);

formulaic recital by individuals in an undisturbed, special place

rigidly- formal and repetitive group ritual

various forms of visual imagination as a means of understanding and retaining quite complex memories.

Situation has changed with the increased use of external symbolic storage.

Changed Role of Biological Memory (Continued).

Overcome many limitations of biological working memory (Baddeley,1986) done on any material that is stored exclusively in biological working memory.

Readers thoughts are directly driven from the external world (text, diagrams, etc)

Mind becomes the internal display device for a very complex external memory trace.

Literate brain thus becomes externally programmable.

Contents of this externally-driven processor can be frozen in time, reviewed, refined, and reformatted.

Moreover, all of this can be done intentionally, on-line, and in real time, in constant interaction with the external display mechanism.

Changed Role of Biological Memory (Continued).

“Things that make us smart” (Norman, 1990)

Cumulation of Scientific Knowledge

Literacy allows thought process itself to be subjected to iterative refinement through stable display of the contents of EXTERNAL memory field

Humans become part of a network of memory systems

Other humans

Books

Libraries

Computers.....

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