Evolution’s great mystery - Michael Corballis

Summary

The script explores the debate on whether bonobo Kanzi's use of symbolic keyboards represents language acquisition. It distinguishes human language's open-ended nature from the limited communication of other species. The origins of language are speculated to have begun with gestures in great apes, evolving into Homo genus's gestural language, and eventually transitioning to spoken language, which may have contributed to human dominance. The intricate relationship between language and human evolution remains a profound mystery.

Takeaways

• 🦍 Bonobo Kanzi learned to communicate with humans using a keyboard of abstract symbols, not through speech or gestures.
• 🗣️ The script questions whether Kanzi truly learned language, distinguishing language as more than just communication, involving sharing thoughts, stories, and ideas.
• 🌐 Language is described as open-ended, allowing for an unlimited number of expressions, unlike the limited, specific messages of other species' communication.
• 🧐 There is a consensus among researchers that only humans possess language, with other species' communication lacking the complexity and combination of ideas.
• 🐒 The script suggests that animal communication, such as a monkey's warning call, is specific and not combinable into complex ideas like human language.
• 🤔 It acknowledges the possibility that our current definition and measurement of language may not apply to animals, and that they might have different forms of communication.
• 🌍 The script highlights that all humans share a common biological machinery for language, as any child can learn any of the approximately 7,000 languages.
• 🕰️ The exact time when humans acquired language is still unknown, with the lineage to humans splitting from other great apes over four million years ago.
• 🦍 Great apes' use of gestures in the wild suggests that language may have started as gestural communication before evolving into speech.
• 🧠 The emergence of the genus Homo during the Pleistocene epoch, with increased brain size and bipedalism, may have facilitated the development of gestural language.
• 🗣️ The transition from gestural to spoken language is believed to have been enabled by the specific shape of the human vocal tract, which is optimal for articulate speech.
• 🔍 The script poses the philosophical questions of whether language shaped humanity or vice versa, and whether our ability to envisage scenarios came before our ability to share them.

Q & A

What unique method did Kanzi the bonobo use to communicate with humans?

Kanzi communicated with humans using a keyboard of abstract symbols, which represented objects and actions. By pointing to these symbols in sequence, he was able to make requests, answer questions, and refer to absent objects.

What is the fundamental difference between language and other forms of communication according to the script?

Language is fundamentally open-ended and can be used to express an unlimited number of things, including stories, opinions, and ideas. It is more specific than communication, which may involve specific messages or gestures without the ability to combine them into complex ideas.

Why is there controversy over whether Kanzi had truly learned language?

The controversy arises because many researchers believe that only humans possess language, and that other species' calls and gestures, which are limited and specific, do not constitute language.

What is the biological basis that allows any human child to learn any of the approximately 7,000 distinct languages?

The biological machinery underlying language is common to all humans, suggesting an innate capacity for language acquisition.

When did the lineage leading to humans split from the other great apes?

The lineage leading to humans split from the other great apes more than four million years ago.

What clue does the behavior of great apes provide about the possible origins of language?

Great apes gesture more freely in the wild than they vocalize, suggesting that language may have started as gesture rather than speech.

During which geological epoch might language have begun to take shape?

Language may have begun to take shape during the Pleistocene epoch, around 2 to 3 million years ago, with the emergence of the genus Homo.

How did the physical changes in early humans, such as increased brain size and bipedalism, potentially contribute to the development of language?

Increased brain size may have provided the cognitive capacity for complex language, while bipedalism freed the hands for gestural communication, which could have been a precursor to language.

What is the significance of the vocal tract's shape in the development of spoken language?

The shape of the vocal tract is crucial for articulate speech. Only in humans is the vocal tract optimal for speech, which may have contributed to the dominance of our species.

What are some of the biggest mysteries surrounding the origins and development of language?

Some of the biggest mysteries include the extent to which language as a capacity shaped humanity, the interplay between humanity and language development, and the chicken-and-egg question of whether the ability to envisage numerous scenarios came first or the ability to share them.

Why might the emergence of speech have been more significant for human dominance than the emergence of language itself?

The emergence of speech may have been more significant because spoken words free the hands for activities such as tool use and transport, potentially leading to the dominance of our species.