Abstract
In The Descent of Man (1871), Darwin substantiates the idea that our species originated by natural selection, including the mind. Consequently, he meets the challenge of Max Müller, for whom the capacity for language in particular cannot be explained as a result of natural selection. Darwin overcomes the challenge with a conjecture about the evolution of language that is less well known but more suggestive and powerful, complete and integrated than others currently in force; moreover, by focusing on articulate speech, it is more biologically plausible. The power of his proposal stems from a deep knowledge of language. Here too, Darwin studies phylogeny with an eye to ontogeny; glossogeny, that is, linguistic change, does not escape him either. Phylogeny, ontogeny, and glossogeny constitute, in this order, the three parts of this article.
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Rosselló, J., Tolchinsky, L., Junyent, C. (2022). Human Evolution: The Linguistic Evidence. In: Bertranpetit, J., Peretó, J. (eds) Illuminating Human Evolution: 150 Years after Darwin. Evolutionary Studies. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3246-5_7
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