Evolution Of Language And The Brain - 1447 Words

Professor Terrence Deacon, an American Neuroanthropoligist; for his undergraduate attended Fairhaven College of Western Washington University from 1972-1976 as an Interdisciplinary major. Later attending Harvard’s Graduate School of Education from 1977-1978 in Philosophy and Cognitive Development. Ultimately pursuing a Ph.D. from Harvard in Biological Anthropology from 1978-1984. Later he joined the Harvard faculty as an assistant professor of biological anthropology, he was promoted to an associate professor. In 1992 became an associate professor of biological anthropology at Boston University and he was an associate at McLean Hospital and the Harvard Medical School. Deacon’s special interests include bio-cultural evolution, brain development, and biosemiotics. He has published 2 major books The Symbolic Species: The Co-Evolution of Language and the Brain† and â€Å"Incomplete Nature: How Mind Emerged from Matter† also coauthored several books and article s revolving semiotics. The book I will be mainly focusing on is The Symbolic Species, which tackles on his theory of the co-evolution of language and the brain. He has 3 tasks in this book first, differentiates human mode of reference (symbolic reference), versus the non-symbolic references found in nonhuman species. Second to explain why it may be difficult for nonhuman species to understand this form of symbolic reference, and third how to explain humans overcome the difficult of understanding symbolic references.Show MoreRelatedThe Evolution of Language1707 Words   |  7 PagesThe Evolution of Language The study of language is very intriguing once you start looking a little farther into it. I read through many books and sources to help make the history of language a little more clear and found many interesting ideas. I found that something as simple as the way you use your hand could shape the brain, language, and human culture (The Hand). I also found many sources on human evolution; and digging a bit deeper into this area showed me many thoughts andRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography On Human Language1116 Words   |  5 Pages(2013). â€Å"Evolution of Human Language – A Biolinguistic, Biosemiotic and Neurobiological Perspective†; Language in India, ISSN 1930-2940 Vol. 13:6, June 2013. Prà ©cis by Samantha Sutton, December 2, 2015 TOPIC In this article there are several depictions of how language has come about and how language has formed not only in humans but in the animal kingdom as well. Nehal and Afzal use several other scholars work in defining their research on the topic of human language evolution. In the articleRead More What Makes Us Human?1718 Words   |  7 PagesHumans are animals but what does it mean to be human? What are the defining characteristics that separate us from other animals? How are we different? Human origins begin with primates, however through evolution we developed unique characteristics such as larger brain sizes, the capacity for language, emotional complexity and habitual bipedalism which separated us from other animals and allowed us to further advance ourselves and survive in the natural world. Additionally, humans have been able toRead MoreThe Origin of Language in Human Evolution Essay1209 Words   |  5 PagesLanguage is a complex system evolved from animal cognition sys tem not from animal communication, suggesting that only humans with complex brain system were capable of developing (Ulbaek, 1998). Whereas other animal species communicate through vocalised sounds, songs, or gestures specially primates such as apes. Similarly gestures and hand gestures were the form of communication used by early hominids, but Homo habilis and Homo erectus started to use vocalisations and decreasing the frequent use ofRead MoreSpeech : A Comparison Between Human And Primates1660 Words   |  7 Pageswhile primates have a closed vocal system. Homo sapiens is probably the only animal that uses language to communicate with one another which distinguishes us from other animals. Through age four, most folks are able to communicate through oral language. At age six or seven, us humans are able to understand and express written thoughts. This distinctive ability of communicating through a native language clearly separates us from all animals. Then we question: where did we obtain this distinctive traitRead MoreEvaluate the Arguments, Presented in the Course, Supporting Chomsky’s Claim That Humans Are Innately Predisposed to Acquire Language, Discussing Specifically What It Might Mean for Humans to Be ‘Innately Predisposed to1356 Words   |  6 PagesLanguage is our main means of communication and learning, without it we would not understand each other efficiently enough to communicate our needs and thoughts. It is a very complicated feature of human cognition. Yet children acquire language very naturally and quickly without any formal instruction. Many language experts such as Chomsky (1965) and Pinker (2000) believe this suggests that there is some innate predisposal to acquire language, by this it is meant a genetic mechanism that holds whatRead MoreHuman Brain And Human Brains1477 Words   |  6 Pagesin our language, movements, and emotions. We have our own language which the majority of animals do not, we stand on two legs while the majority of the animals are on four legs, and we are much more sensitive to our emotional reactions, making us complex animals. Now, where does all these differences come from? As the title suggest, our human brains are incredible in the way they process information. This article aims to discuss the differences of human brain compared to other animal brains, and whatRead MoreEvolution Of Primate Intelligence For Example Gestation Period, Social Organization And Mating Process905 Words   |  4 Pageselements that helped shape the evolution of primate intelligence for example gestation period, social organization and mating process. So what exactly is that makes it so different from our primate cousins? Our brain and the size of it! Our brain is more developed than our primate cousins, but how and why is the question. Let’s begin by discussing the parts and function of our brains. The neo cortex is the largest part of the brain and the most important. This part of the brain is divided into four differentRead MoreSimilarities Between Evolution And Evolution1636 Words   |  7 Pagesa Creator God was accepted, but when the world became more secular, evolution began to arise. Only one can be right, so which one is it? This paper is going to use science to answer this long wondered question. By looking at evolution through the scope of common ancestry, problems with genetic similarities to apes, evolution occurring today, and the fossil record, ***fix according to Mrs. Johnson***point out the flaws in evolution while the universal code of DNA and the complexity of organisms pointsRead MoreDarwin ´s Theory of Natural Selection and Primates1285 Words   |  6 PagesDarwin’s ideas about organic evolution were drawn from the existing forces of knowledge on evolution developed by Lyell, Malthus, and Lamarck. Although Darwin was not the first thinker about the concept of evolution, he was a revolutionary in developing a theory of evolution that was consistent. The distinctive element of the evolutionary theory conceived by Darwin is the way he viewed species. Darwin considered variation among individuals of a species to be natural. He further argued that