<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Although language is something deeply embedded in our nature, the question of its origin is of the same order as the misty question of the origin of life. I point out that the core of the problem can be rooted in the dichotomy between language and speech, similar to the dichotomy of genotype and phenotype in biology. Following the ontogeny–phylogeny framework, I propose that studies of language ontogeny, especially its early stages, can bring a new understanding to language, same as the study of communication in non-human primates.</p></abstract>

Although language is something deeply embedded in our nature, the question of its origin is of the same order as the misty question of the origin of life. I point out that the core of the problem can be rooted in the dichotomy between language and speech, similar to the dichotomy of genotype and phenotype in biology. Following the ontogeny–phylogeny framework, I propose that studies of language ontogeny, especially its early stages, can bring a new understanding to language, same as the study of communication in non-human primates.

Emergence of living language: ontogeny–phylogeny framework and other parallels of linguistics and biology

Faculty of Science, Department of Philosophy and History of Science

Linguistic Frontiers

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Although language is something deeply embedded in our nature, the question of its origin is of the same order as the misty question of the origin of life. I...

Emergence of living language: ontogeny–phylogeny framework and other parallels of linguistics and biology

Published Online: Apr 24, 2019

Page range: 74 - 79

Received: Jun 25, 2018

Accepted: Aug 23, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/lf-2018-0002

Keywords
genotype, phenotype, ontogeny–phylogeny, origin of language, origin of life, speech development

© 2018 Michaela Zemková, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Emergence of living language: ontogeny–phylogeny framework and other parallels of linguistics and biology

Published Online: Apr 24, 2019

Page range: 74 - 79

Received: Jun 25, 2018

Accepted: Aug 23, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/lf-2018-0002

Keywordsgenotype, phenotype, ontogeny–phylogeny, origin of language, origin of life, speech development

© 2018 Michaela Zemková, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
genotype, phenotype, ontogeny–phylogeny, origin of language, origin of life, speech development