Human language and our reptilian brain: the subcortical bases of speech, syntax, and thought

Abstract

This work is an entry into the fierce current debate among psycho-linguists, neuroscientists, and evolutionary theorists about the nature and origins of human language. A prominent neuroscientist here takes up the Darwinian case, using data seldom considered by psycho-linguists and neuro-linguists to argue that human - though more sophisticated than all other forms of animal communication - is not a qualitative different ability from all forms of animal communication, does not require a quantum evolutionary leap to explain it, and is not unified in a single language instinct. Using clinical evidence from speech-impaired patients, functional neuro-imaging, and evolutionary biology to make his case, Philip Lieberman contends that human is not a single separate module but a functional neurological system made up off many separate abilities. Language remains as it began, the author argues: a device for coping with the world. But in a blow to human narcissism, he makes the case that this most remarkable human ability is a by-product of our remote reptilian ancestors' abilities to dodge hazards, seize opportunities, and live to see another day.