In Article<886974029.354549767 at dejanews.com>,
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> From: rmallott at percep.demon.co.uk> Subject: MOTOR THEORY AND GESTURE
> Date: Sun, 08 Feb 1998 17:02:24 -0600
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>>>>> forwarded from LINGUIST LIST 30 Jan:
>> The recent paper in Nature (January 15) by Goldin-Meadow and
Mylander on
> spontaneous sign language of children in Taiwan and the
United States
> taken with the remarkable work of Kegl and McWhorter on the
gesture
> language invented by children in Nicaragua provide convincing
> observational evidence for the innate relation between
gesture and
> language, and indeed more generally for the biological origin
of
> language systems. This material can be related to increasing
evidence
> for the fundamental importance of sound symbolism in very
many
> languages.
>> More specifically, they support the hypothesis that language
evolved as
> an exaptation of the previously existing complex cerebral
motor control
> system and that the effects of the motor origin of language
can be
> observed and demonstrated in the lexicon and syntax of
languages
> generally. To the general investigation of the motor theory
of language
> origin at
>> http: //www.percep.demon.co.uk
>> has now been added extensive demonstration of the direct
relation
> between gesture and language in the form of animated gestural
> equivalents of a considerable number of words in English,
Japanese,
> French (with more cursory treatment of Hebrew, Korean,
Finnish,
> Hungarian and Basque). To see the animations on the Web it is
necessary
> to have uptodate versions of Microsoft Explorer or Netscape
(but not
> necessarily Java). The animations can be seen at:
>>http://www.percep.demon.co.uk/mappfol.htm>> and at pages linked to that.
>> I hope that it will be possible to find time during the April
London
> Conference on the Evolution of Language to present the
complete
> material.
>> -------------------==== Posted via Deja News
====-----------------------
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Usenet
15/Feb/97
The place of gesture in the development of language is
interesting and leads me to the following mental
ramblings.
I am interested in schema which define complex movements
like reaching and grasping. But all possible movements
are not stored as plans in the brain. It would be
impossible to be prepared for all the possible actions
that might be required. John Annett has proposed that
"Just as the verbal/linguistic system can interpret a
population of words and phrases, so ... the action
system stores a 'vocabulary' of elementary actions or
action prototypes". These are then the components from
which a schema is developed.
In the issue of Nature for the 31st July 1997, John
Maddox reviewed a meeting on the evolution of language.
He quoted one speaker (Bickerton) as saying that the
language function emerged 'catastrophically' by
adapting preexisting neuronal circuitry for the analysis
of syntax. On an evolutionary scale, the preexisting
circuitry is likely to be concerned with movement.
In the Artful Universe John D. Barrow says:
"Another activity that can be viewed in this pragmatic
light is that of dance. Whenever there is a need for
frenzied activity or heightened sensibilities - in
preparation for war, in celebration of fertility or of
birth, or in mourning death- the rhythmic gyrations of
primitive dance bind people together in shared
experience. The whole community seems larger than the
aggregate of its parts; .. ". Nowadays perhaps speech
would take precedence?
Could evolution be marked by the development of
appropriate 'vocabularies' from movement through music
and dance (which came first? I suppose music via
drumming to simulate the heart beat?) to speech?
But where does music fit in? Did music precede language?
The Dance idea is interesting. Presumably evolution
progressed through non sessile organisms, moving
organisms, communicating organisms (? through dance,
e.g.bees dance to indicate where the pollen is, dance to
attract a mate?), gesturing organisms, speaking
organisms (e.g.? humans).
As Bickerton has not answered my communications, can
anyone add to his pronouncement? John Shaw
