Seite 9: Conclusions

This paper proposed a number of mechanisms that together might explain the origins of language: evolution, co-evolution, self-organisation and level formation. Each of these mechanisms is known to play a critical role in the origins of complexity in biosystems , which justifies that they are also applied to the origins and evolution of language. However, in contrast with most researchers today, I propose to apply these mechanisms not to biological structures (for example genes or neural networks), but rather to language itself. For example, no `catastrophic' genetic mutation is proposed to explain the origins of syntax, rather syntax is hypothesised to originate spontaneously through level formation based on the pressure to express more meanings with limited resources of time, memory and processing power.

An analogy was proposed between language and species and between an individual's language rules (at different linguistic level) and genes. Evolutionary processes operate on the individual rules causing the language to bootstrap and evolve. Selectionist criteria are not in terms of reproductive success (as in the case of genetic evolution) but rather success, ease and efficiency in linguistic communication. Coherence emerges through self-organisation.

Of course, the individual brain must have the appropriate capabilities to engage in the operations necessary to represent and enact the linguistic rules. This includes fine motor control of the articulatory system, frequency analysis of the speech signal, associative memory, discretisation of continuous sensory data channels, set operations over feature structures, monitoring and establishment of feedback loops between use and success, planning and recognition of sequences, etc. But none of these functions is unique for language. The fine motor control needed for the articulatory system is similar to the one needed for controlling a hand. The frequency analysis of the speech signal is identical to that needed for recognising other kinds of sounds. Set operations, associative memory, planning and recognition of action sequences all are needed for daily survival and can be found in lower animals, albeit with much less sophistication.

Testing the adequacy of mechanisms for the origins of language by building software simulations and robotic agents, has proven to be a very effective methodology although it requires a large amount of work. So far, concrete positive results have been obtained for meaning, lexicons and phonology. Much more research needs to be done, particularly in the area of syntax and in the evolution of language games and speech acts. But many exciting new insights are clearly within reach.

Acknowledgement