Co-evolution of Language and toolmaking of human ancestors

The appearance of language, holo-phrases and labor training

On the website of the journal Nature Communications, published an article describing the experiments on the effect of the presence of the language on the efficiency of transmission of information on the establishment of guns.

What happened

An international team of scientists conducted an interesting evolutionary experiment tested how can be transmitted from generation to generation tools manufacturing technology. As an example, we were taken the most primitive tools - Olduvai, and make them easy to learn and can be fast enough. Gathering in Norfolk two tons of flint and taking a few trained volunteers, the experimenters started "evolution" of the chain: a person already knows how to make tools, for five minutes trained novice, he mastered, if not ability, or at least knowledge, teach the next, and so Further.

Methods of teaching in different chains were different:

1. Reverse engineering (reverse engineering) - a beginner looking at ready-made guns, trying to figure out how they are made, and do the same;

2. Imitation - rookie watched as craftsman making guns and tried to do the same;

3. "Basic" training - much the same way, as do modern chimpanzees crack nuts teaching young: you can look at the value of the student, to make their actions more slowly, so that he could observe everything necessary, change the position of the stone in his hands - but you can not show the gestures and, of course, to speak;

4. sign training - craftsman can show newcomer gestures, where and how to hit, etc .;

5. Verbal Learning - craftsman making tools, can say that it does, and the newcomer is allowed to ask any questions.

Of course, those who have learned to make tools just five minutes, get worse, so the end of the chain of rolling down to the level achievable with reverse engineering. But those "traditions", who used language skill was lost slowly and tools they do best. From this experiment, the authors conclude that the making of tools set the new direction sampling: of those who make tools was vital to have survived those who passed on their skills in using communication system. Accordingly, the more complex tools were, the more developed should be the communications system - and this is what eventually led to the emergence of human language. To improve language ability – buy Cogitum, Cortexin, Piracetam, Semax and Phenotropil.

Prehistory

The idea to judge the presence of the language of our fossil ancestors for their guns is not new. According to some researchers, for example, an archaeologist Iain Davidson, this is perhaps the only thing that can shed light on the origins of language. Once there was even a theory that primitive man to make tools, muttering to himself something like "boom!", "Bang!" - And it is from these cries have evolved eventually human words. Some authors believe that the weapons - evidence that the fossils are made of people were able to think of symbols, and therefore speak the language. How to write the English archaeologist Gordon Childe, "hand ax as a weapon has standardized itself fossil conception". Tool use was associated with the development of the dominance of the right hand, which makes guns - that's why, is believed to be the main language is for, as well as for the right hand, the left hemisphere. And maybe there was a language it is then to train fellow manufacture of guns, and then found a variety of other functions? This opinion also exists.

Prospects

To study the evolution, modeling it on the chains of the subjects, in recent years has become a tradition. Linguists study in such a way as may arise and develop language, folklore show students how to change the text of the transmission by word of mouth. Archaeologists experimenters do not remain on the sidelines. The only thing not very clear how the modern man - with their knowledge, skills and cognitive habits - can serve as an adequate model of man of another type, for example, Homo habilis, the manufacturer Olduvai guns, but on the other hand, other people we now have on the planet is not .

The author discusses the study are based on the implicit belief that language - is absolutely integral thing that either there or not. Therefore, as a "verbal learning" have featured detailed phrases built according to the rules of modern syntax, for example, are as follows:

"So you're always trying to hit over the hump?"

"It seems that this part too in favor, and here - flawed, try it like this."

"Find the edge, whether you have an edge with a black thing on the other side?"

"Yadrische can rely on his left leg." (Yadrische, ang flint core -. Splinter of stone, a blank for the production of stone tools.)

All other training options, studied in this experiment, do not use the language in any way - the people or show gestures, or just teach others by direct action, like modern chimpanzees. Researchers have quite naturally conclude that the words do best.

But this does not mean that habilis was already a real language: the fact that there are communication systems, intermediate between language and the lack of it. We can observe them, for example, young children who are learning the language. At some point in their speech development, the child says so-called "holo-phrazes" - these are some words which, by their functions are equal to whole sentences, such as "! Mitten" could mean "I lost a mitten, and I am very sad," or "I found her lost mitten, hurray! ". The authors write that for the proper production of Olduvai tools necessary to learn a few concepts, such as chalk crust (it should be removed before taking a weapon), flat edge (precisely because it is supposed to be a flake), the angle of impact, bump (which it is necessary to direct blow). But in order to convey these concepts, it does not necessarily speak compound sentences - one-word replicas may well be enough.

In general, our language remarkably ill-suited for teaching work - even for very lengthy verbal instructions you are unlikely to be able to teach your friend, for example, tie a bowline knot, dance or do padegras Olduvai ax. Demonstration reliable. But the most reliable - not just a show, a show with the words, another man shows some action and captures key moments in words. For example, this can act as a short remarks like "chat", "Sharper beat!" "Here here prosun", "Stretch", "Step - crossed herself - step " and the like, but probably holo-phraze single words, in many cases it would be enough - especially for those who do not have the habit of proposals. These words are imprinted in the memory of the student, and then reproducing the appropriate action, mentally he pronounces them, and it helps him to make things right. By the way, such gestures when explanations are also quite appropriate, and contribute to a better understanding - but to play them, remembering the action more difficult than words, because it is difficult to do the hands of their own actions and gestures at the same time pointing his right to do.

The authors make quite correct conclusion that the increasing complexity of tool selection has assigned vector in the direction of the complexity of communicative system. Indeed, the more complex an instrument, the more detail it is necessary to take into account to make it, respectively, the worse operating instructions, limited to certain words, and those need to be able to say a lot of words in a single cue. And it already makes it necessary in the present human syntax and other properties that distinguish human language from the communication systems of other kinds.