tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522018539311056682.post3844823907133621680..comments2024-03-27T01:28:28.346-07:00Comments on False Machine: Animal Crackerspjamesstuarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13288777018721199748noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522018539311056682.post-19715643928434153692013-01-23T13:34:28.673-08:002013-01-23T13:34:28.673-08:00There definitely is a biological component to lang...There definitely is a biological component to language. I was thinking of the whole process taking place in genetically-coherent humans. We became anotomically modern about 200,000 years ago and behavioraly modern (language, symbols) about 50,000 years ago. So theres 150,000 years where we dont know much about what happened.<br /><br />There is a grand mutation theory, that something got 'switched on' in out heads. And there is the 'slowly learning stuff' theory, and a bunch in between.<br /><br />But whichever one is true, at some point someone had to actually learn something. Genes can allow language but they (probably) cant make it on thier own.<br /><br />I doubt my bullshit theory is true with a capital T. But I think it may well turn out to be part of the truth.pjamesstuarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13288777018721199748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522018539311056682.post-50857753063866984062013-01-23T13:16:24.993-08:002013-01-23T13:16:24.993-08:00I think that the part that complicates all of this...I think that the part that complicates all of this is that there is a biological component of language. Our evolutionary ancestors and relatives didn't have the brains or bodies to use language like we do today. It may not be that natural flow begets movement begets sound/music/language, but that those things happened in that order because whatever human ancestor was around at that time didn't have the cognition to do anything more. So like, one of our most distant ancestors could only handle natural flow, but the next species that arose had the physiological equipment for communication through movement, and then the next species had sounds/music/language, just because it had the brain and body for it. <br /><br />I'm not sure about the progression from natural flow to written word. Writing systems are not the default for language, and I do not know that it is inevitable that languages acquire them.jacintohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15830023557305593115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4522018539311056682.post-7347970668703444952013-01-23T13:05:02.757-08:002013-01-23T13:05:02.757-08:00Rrrrrrronto-BOSH!!!!!
Teeeeglo CARbon!Rrrrrrronto-BOSH!!!!!<br /><br />Teeeeglo CARbon!Zak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.com