ANTH 161 - Origins of Language

4 Credit(s)

Perhaps no aspect of our behavior appears so uniquely human as language. But when did language appear? How is human language different from the communication of other creatures? How is the appearance of language related to tool use, evolving social structure, abstract thought, and self-awareness? Is there evolutionary continuity between animal and human minds? Recognizing that it is unlikely that a single factor is, in itself, responsible for the evolution of language, this course draws on research from such diverse areas as linguistics, biological anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology, psychology and neurology to explore ways of answering these questions.