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Human uniqueness, b...
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Zlatev, JordanLund University,Lunds universitet,Kognitiv semiotik,Avdelningen för lingvistik och kognitiv semiotik,Sektion 6,Språk- och litteraturcentrum,Institutioner,Humanistiska och teologiska fakulteterna,Cognitive Semiotics,Division of Linguistics and Cognitive Semiotics,Section 6,Centre for Languages and Literature,Departments,Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology
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Human uniqueness, bodily mimesis and the evolution of language
- Article/chapterEnglish2014
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LIBRIS-ID:oai:lup.lub.lu.se:79a4cce5-d09a-4936-a3c3-c95f44e76834
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https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/4924623URI
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Language:English
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Summary in:English
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I argue that an evolutionary adaptation for bodily mimesis, the volitional use of the body as a representational devise, is the “small difference” that gave rise to unique and yet pre-linguistic features of humanity such as (over)imitation, pedagogy, intentional communication and the possibility of a cumulative, representational culture. Furthermore, it is this that made the evolution of language possible. In support for the thesis that speech evolved atop bodily mimesis and a transitional multimodal protolanguage, I review evidence for the extensive presence of sound-symbolism in modern languages, for its psychological reality in adults, and for its contribution to language acquisition in children. On a meta-level, the argument is that dividing human cognitive-semiotic evolution into a sequence of stages is crucial for resolving classical dichotomies on human nature and language, which are both natural and cultural, both continuous with and discontinuous from those of (other) animals.
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Kognitiv semiotikAvdelningen för lingvistik och kognitiv semiotik
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In:Humana.Mente:271972-1293
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