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要想理解人之所以为人的基础何在,那么探索语言如何独一无二地涌现于人类就是个核心议题。把这个议题取个像“语言器官”一类的名字,并把它含糊地归因于某种基因突变,是无济于事的做法。这个议题理应从演化论的观点加以检视。在此我主张,语言涌现的轨迹,始于我们首次采取双脚直立的姿势,这比科学分类上我们“人属”(Homo)的出现还要早。第二个相变出现在当我们的祖先制造各类石器工具展现了象征行为时。促成语言涌现的第三个相变,出现在当口语沟通从手势和韵律的模式转变为主要依靠元音、辅音构成音节串时,这种转变为人类提供了有效的信号空间。第四个相变则是文字的发明,也造成了若干深远的影响。
To understand where human beings are based, it is a central issue to explore how language can emerge uniquely from mankind. It is useless to take the subject as a category like “language organ” and vaguely attribute it to some kind of genetic mutation. This issue should be examined from the point of view of evolution. Here, I argue, the trajectory of language comes from our first posture of standing upright in both feet, even earlier than our scientific classification of “Homo.” The second phase change occurs when the ancestors made all kinds of stone tools exhibit symbolic behavior. The third phase transition, which contributed to the emergence of language, appeared when human beings provided an effective signal space when the spoken communication shifted from gestures and rhythms to relying mainly on vowels and consonants to form syllable strings. The fourth phase change is the invention of the text, also caused a number of far-reaching impact.