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From Hand To Mouth

The document discusses a theory that language evolved from manual and facial gestures rather than vocalizations. It outlines how Michael Corballis developed a full theory about how and why language transitioned from a gestural system to spoken words over time. Corballis brings together evidence from various fields to argue that language first emerged as a signed language among early humans, and that speech did not become the dominant form of communication until around 50,000 years ago, later than generally believed.

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Gilda Evangelista Castelo
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284 views2 pages

From Hand To Mouth

The document discusses a theory that language evolved from manual and facial gestures rather than vocalizations. It outlines how Michael Corballis developed a full theory about how and why language transitioned from a gestural system to spoken words over time. Corballis brings together evidence from various fields to argue that language first emerged as a signed language among early humans, and that speech did not become the dominant form of communication until around 50,000 years ago, later than generally believed.

Uploaded by

Gilda Evangelista Castelo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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FROM HAND TO MOUTH

It is often said that speech is what distinguishes us from other animals.


But are we all talk? What if language was bequeathed to us not by word
of mouth, but as a hand-me-down?

The notion that language evolved not from animal cries but from manual
and facial gestures — that, for most of human history, actions have
spoken louder than words — has been around since Condillac. But never
before has anyone developed a full-fledged theory of how, why, and with
what effects language evolved from a gestural system to the spoken word.
Marshaling far-flung evidence from anthropology, animal behavior,
neurology, molecular biology, anatomy, linguistics, and evolutionary
psychology, Michael Corballis makes the case that language developed,
with the emergence of Homo sapiens, from primate gestures to a true
signed language, complete with grammar and syntax and at best
punctuated with grunts and other vocalizations. While vocal utterance
played an increasingly important complementary role, autonomous
speech did not appear until about 50,000 years ago — much later than
generally believed.

Bringing in significant new evidence to bolster what has been a minority


view, Corballis goes beyond earlier supporters of a gestural theory by
suggesting why speech eventually (but not completely!) supplanted
gesture. He then uses this milestone to account for the artistic explosion
and demographic triumph of the particular group of Homo sapiens from
whom we are descended. And he asserts that speech, like written
language, was a cultural invention and not a biological fait accompli.

Writing with wit and eloquence, Corballis makes nimble reference to


literature, mythology, natural history, sports, and contemporary politics as
he explains in fascinating detail what we now know about such varied
subjects as early hominid evolution, modern signed languages, and the
causes of left-handedness. From Hand to Mouth will have scholars and
laymen alike talking — and sometimes gesturing — for years to come.
(this is where the language originate..from hand to mouth talks about the
evolution of language)

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