Re: Evolution of Human Speech??

On Sep 20, 8:55 pm, Marc Verhaegen <m_verhae...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
The Evolution of Human Speech
Philip Lieberman 2007
Current Anthropology 48: 39­66

Human speech involves species-specific anatomy deriving from the
descent of the tongue into the pharynx. The human tongue's shape and
position yields the 1:1 oral-to-pharyngeal proportions of the
supralaryngeal vocal tract. Speech also requires a brain that can
"reiterate" freely reorder a finite set of motor gestures to form a
potentially infinite number of words and sentences. The end points of
the evolutionary process are clear. The chimpanzee lacks a
supralaryngeal vocal tract capable of producing the "quantal" sounds
which facilitate both speech production and perception and a brain
that can reiterate the phonetic contrasts apparent in its fixed
vocalizations. The traditional Broca-Wernicke brain-language theory is
incorrect; neural circuits linking regions of the cortex with the
basal ganglia and other subcortical structures regulate motor control,
including speech production, as well as cognitive processes including
syntax. The dating of the FOXP2 gene, which governs the embryonic
development of these subcortical structures, provides an insight on
the evolution of speech and language. The starting points for human
speech and language were perhaps walking and running. However, fully
human speech anatomy first appears in the fossil record in the Upper
Paleolithic (about 50,000 years ago) and is absent in both
Neanderthals and earlier humans.

DD:
What next??
Running: Origin of sex?
Running: Origin of Life?
Running: Origin of (fill in the blanks)

:-D

--Marc

This is just BS. There's no reason why neanderthal couildn't talk. he
could sing, fo crying out loud!
They've been looking for something different in man's physiology
forever to find an explanation for the cultural revolution of 50,000
years ago but they haven't been able to find it. I'd bet my house that
the difference between 60,000 Hss speech anatomy and 45,000 Hss speech
anatomy is so small that most scientists don't even fully acknowledge
it.

Just because a neanderthal might not be able to speek English (and
even that's debatable), doesn't mean he can't speak Neanderthal.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Evolution of Human Speech??
    ... Human speech involves species-specific anatomy deriving from the ... including speech production, as well as cognitive processes including ... Note the key phrase: "fully human". ...
    (sci.anthropology.paleo)
  • Re: Buttplug Mountain - Is Ang Lee gay???
    ... >Sandra Oh from "Grey's Anatomy" gave the stupidest and most ridiculous ... >speech of the evening, or possibly even of the past ten years, in fact. ... difference speaking in front of a live crowd like that and making ...
    (rec.arts.movies.current-films)
  • Re: Prez delays Prison Break & 24
    ... least that is the amount of time allotted by Fox, after with PRISON BREAK ... already be taping the season finale of Grey's Anatomy. ... CBS's schedule will be delayed by the speech also. ... Does this mean the east coast is getting the speech and the ...
    (rec.arts.tv)
  • Re: Evolution of Human Speech??
    ... Human speech involves species-specific anatomy deriving from the ... including speech production, as well as cognitive processes including ... speech and language were perhaps walking and running. ...
    (sci.anthropology.paleo)
  • Re: Evolution of Human Speech??
    ... Human speech involves species-specific anatomy deriving from the ... including speech production, as well as cognitive processes including ... No, sloths can't run, but they have sex, so that's out. ...
    (sci.anthropology.paleo)