
Contents
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13.1 Introduction and overview 13.1 Introduction and overview
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13.2 Introduction to linguistics 13.2 Introduction to linguistics
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13.2.1 Historical sketch 13.2.1 Historical sketch
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13.2.2 Speech sounds: phonetics 13.2.2 Speech sounds: phonetics
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13.2.3 Words: phonology and morphology 13.2.3 Words: phonology and morphology
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13.2.4 Sentences: syntax 13.2.4 Sentences: syntax
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13.2.5 Semantics and pragmatics 13.2.5 Semantics and pragmatics
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13.3 Language in the brain 13.3 Language in the brain
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13.4 Language evolution 13.4 Language evolution
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13.4.1 Shared intentionality, cooperation, and communication 13.4.1 Shared intentionality, cooperation, and communication
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13.4.2 Gestural theory and verbal communication 13.4.2 Gestural theory and verbal communication
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13.4.3 Mind and grammar 13.4.3 Mind and grammar
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13.4.4 Further implications of language evolution 13.4.4 Further implications of language evolution
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13.5 Language development 13.5 Language development
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13.5.1 Prelinguistic concept development 13.5.1 Prelinguistic concept development
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13.5.2 Phonological and lexical development 13.5.2 Phonological and lexical development
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13.5.3 Grounding and developing grammar 13.5.3 Grounding and developing grammar
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13.6 Common and individual meaning 13.6 Common and individual meaning
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13.6.1 Word meaning 13.6.1 Word meaning
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13.6.2 Meaning in conversations 13.6.2 Meaning in conversations
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13.7 Conclusions and implications 13.7 Conclusions and implications
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13.8 Exercises 13.8 Exercises
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13 Language, Concepts, and Abstract Thought
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Published:January 2017
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Abstract
Language is probably the most complex form of universal communication. A finite set of words enables us to express a mere infinite number of thoughts and ideas, which we set together by obeying grammatical rules and compositional, semantic knowledge. This chapter addresses how human language abilities have evolved and how they develop. A short introduction to linguistics covers the most important conceptualized aspects, including language production, phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. The brain considers these linguistic aspects seemingly in parallel when producing and comprehending sentences. The brain develops some dedicated language modules, which strongly interact with other modules. Evolution appears to have recruited prelinguistic developmental neural structures and modified them into maximally language-suitable structures. Moreover, evolution has most likely evolved language to further facilitate social cooperation and coordination, including the further development of theories of the minds of others. Language develops in a human child building on prelinguistic concepts, which are based on motor control-oriented structures detailed in the previous chapter. A final look at actual linguistic communication emphasizes that an imaginary common ground and individual private grounds unfold between speaker and listener, characterizing what is actually commonly and privately communicated and understood.
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