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Why don't chimps talk and humans sing like canaries?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 August 2006

Sverker Johansson ,
Jordan Zlatev  and
Peter Grdenfors
Sverker Johansson*
Affiliation:
School of Education and Communication, University of Jnkping, Jnkping, SE-551 11, Swedenhttp://home.hj.se/~lsj
Jordan Zlatev*
Affiliation:
Department of Linguistics, Center for Language and Literature, Lund University, Box 201, Lund, SE-221 00, Swedenhttp://www.ling.lu.se/persons/JordanZlatev.html?language=English
Peter Grdenfors*
Affiliation:
Cognitive Science, Kungshuset, Lundagrd, Lund University, Lund,SE-222 22, Swedenhttp://www.fil.lu.se/lucs/staff/person.asp?id=42
*
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
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Abstract:

We focus on two problems with the evolutionary scenario proposed: (1) It bypasses the question of the origins of the communicative and semiotic features that make language distinct from, say, pleasant but meaningless sounds. (2) It does little to explain the absence of language in, for example, chimpanzees: Most of the selection pressures invoked apply just as strongly to chimps. We suggest how these problems could possibly be amended.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 29 , Issue 3 , June 2006 , pp. 287 - 288
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

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