Work

How Can a Multimodal Approach to Primate Communication Help Us Understand the Evolution of Communication?

Year: 2013

Type: article

Abstract: Scientists studying the communication of non-human animals are often aiming to better understand the evolution of human communication, including human language. Some scientists take a phylogenetic perspective, where the goal is to trace the evolutionary history of communicative traits, while others take a functional perspective, where the goal is to understand the selection pressures underpinning specific traits. Both perspectives are necessary to fully understand the evolution of communication, but it is important to understand how the two perspectives differ and what they can and cannot tell us. Here, we suggest that integrating phylogenetic and functional questions can be fruitful in better understanding the evolution of communication. We also suggest that adopting a multimodal approach to communication might help to integrate phylogenetic and functional questions, and provide an interesting avenue for research into language evolution.

Source: Evolutionary Psychology

DOI: 10.1177/147470491301100305

Authors: Bridget M. Waller, Katja Liebal, Anne M. Burrows, Katie. E. Slocombe

Institutions: University of Portsmouth, Freie Universität Berlin, University of Pittsburgh, University of York

Language: English

Topic: Language and cultural evolution

Subfield: Cultural Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,000

Funders: University of Cambridge, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council