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Studies of the emergence of language focus on the evolutionary and developmental factors that affect the acquisition and auto-organization of a linguistic system. Emergent accounts of language emphasize the extent to which a complex set of communicative behaviors and forms arise from a few simple mechanisms. Thus, they essentially describe moments in time when non-linguistic systems become linguistic. Language development is divided into distinct stages, where the appearance of one property depended on another that preceded it. Identifying structures within emerging systems allows us to analyze interdependencies and contraints imposed by linguistic developments. Naturally, the study of the origin and emergence of language is a highly interdisciplinary endeavor. Recent advances in the brain and cognitive sciences spurred a surge of scientific interest in language emergence, with evidence coming from comparative psychology, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and theoretical linguistics. This seminar will survey a cross-section of modern theories, methods and research pertaining to the emergence of language from an evolutionary perspective.
In the winter semester of 2025/ 26, this course will be offered as a project-based course. This means that it will be a mix of regular classes, online classes, and empirical projects conducted by the participants. Please have a close look at the syllabus on Moodle: https://dl1.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=8744. <br> Poslední úprava: Luef Eva Maria, doc. Dr. phil., Mag. phil. (16.09.2025)
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NOTE There is no textbook for this course; readings and other class notes will be posted on Moodle. The reading list may be subject to change. Poslední úprava: Bělehrádková Kateřina, Mgr. Bc. (05.02.2022)
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LITERATURE Christiansen, M. H. & Chater, N. (2015). The language faculty that wasn’t: A usage-based account of natural language recursion. Frontiers in Psychology, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01182 Dunbar, R. (2004). Gossip in evolutionary perspective. Review of General Psychology, 8/2, 100-110. Luef, E. M. (2018). Tracing the human brain’s classical language areas in extant and extinct hominids. In E. M. Luef & M. M. Marin (Eds.), The talking species: Perspectives on the evolutionary, neuronal and cultural foundations of language (pp. 29-56). Graz: Uni-Press. Hillert, D. (2015). On the evolving biology of language. Frontiers in Psychology, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01796 Jackendoff, R. (2011). What ist he human language faculty? Two views. Language, 87/3, 586-624. Rakoczy, H. (2017). Theory of mind. In B. Hopkins, E. Geangu, & S. Linkenauger (Eds.), The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Child Development (pp. 505-512). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781316216491.081. Pagel, M. (2016). Darwinian perspectives on the evolution of human languages. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 24, 151-157. Pepperberg, I. (2013). Evolution of communication and language: Insights from parrots and songbirds. In M. Tallerman & K. R. Gibson (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of language evolution (pp. 109-119). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Schlenker, P., Chemla, E., Schel, A. M., Fuller, J., Gautier, J.-P., Kuhn, J., Veselinović, D., Arnold, K., Cäsar, C., Keenan, S., Lemasson, A., Ouattara, K., Ryder, R., & Zuberbühler, K. (2016). Formal monkey linguistics. Theoretical Linguistics, 42/1-2, 1-90. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/tl-2016-0001. Siew, C. Q. S., Wulff, D. U., Beckage, N. M., & Kenett, Y. N. (2019). Cognitive network science: A review of research on cognition through the lens of network representations, processes, and dynamics. Complexity, Art. ID: 2108423. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/2108423 Slater, P. (2013). Bird song and language. In M. Tallerman & K. R. Gibson (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of language evolution (pp. 96-101). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Steward, C. (2019). Order in a chaotic world: Introducing the Chaos Theory. URL: https://medium.com/swlh/order-in-a-chaotic-world-introducing-the-chaos-theory-2b3884497071 Tomasello, M. (2018). How children come to understand false beliefs: A shared intentionality account. PNAS, 115/ 34, 8491-9498. Poslední úprava: Bělehrádková Kateřina, Mgr. Bc. (05.02.2022)
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REQUIREMENTS - Attendance, active participation, assignments = 40% - Project work = 30% - Final project presentation = 30% Poslední úprava: Luef Eva Maria, doc. Dr. phil., Mag. phil. (16.09.2025)
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SYLLABUS
Poslední úprava: Luef Eva Maria, doc. Dr. phil., Mag. phil. (16.09.2025)
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