Abstract
In this paper we argue that ecological evolutionary developmental biology (eco-evo-devo) accounts of cognitive modernity are compatible with cultural evolution theories of language built upon iterated learning models. Cultural evolution models show that the emergence of near universal properties of language do not require the preexistence of strong specific constraints. Instead, the development of general abilities, unrelated to informational specificity, like the copying of complex signals and sharing of communicative intentions is required for cultural evolution to yield specific properties, such as language structure. We argue that eco-evo-devo provides the appropriate conceptual background to ground an account for the many interconnected genetic, environmental and developmental factors that facilitated the emergence of an organic system able to develop language through the iterated transmission of information. We use the concept of niche construction to connect evolutionary developmental accounts for sensory guided motor capacities and cultural evolution guided by iterated learning models. This integrated theoretical model aims to build bridges between biological and cultural approaches.
Highlights
Cultural evolution and biological evolution share a number of similarities that have long been recognised (e.g. Darwin 1871; Lumsden and Wilson 1981; Boyd and Richerson 1985; Durham 1991)
In the light of niche construction, we will argue in favor of a general theory of language evolution that integrates the developmental architecture of cognitive abilities and iterated learning models
To what extent have these two processes developed independently one from the other? In Sect. 4, we showed that iterated learning does not require innately determined abilities to account for the emergence of linguistic regularities and in Sect. 5 we showed that an “eco-evo-devo” approach is a valid framework to account for the preconditions for iterated learning without the need of relying on strong genetic constraints
Summary
Cultural evolution and biological evolution share a number of similarities that have long been recognised (e.g. Darwin 1871; Lumsden and Wilson 1981; Boyd and Richerson 1985; Durham 1991).
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