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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