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Re: Neanderthal "voice boxes"?
Michael McBroom (bodhi@earthlink.net)
Thu, 23 Jan 1997 01:10:03 -0800
MSCob wrote:
> It has been some time since I have read much about the organization
> of the brain, but I have a strong impression that the large human brain
> contains more grey matter, involved with conscious reasoning, than those
> of other mammals. Language, especially using grammar, to a lesser extent
> using vocabulary, is an extremely unconscious function. Amnesiacs retain
> language along with the ability to walk, drive cars, shave, and do other
> habitual activities of that kind. Doesn't this suggest that language is
> an ancient ability in the hominid line? Not any specific language, of
> course, because human language is by its nature highly flexible and
> changeable, like the songs of many birds. But the language activity,
> including grammatical complexity, must be quite old, not post-Neanderthal.
Hear here! My sentiments exactly!
Regards,
Michael McBroom
CSUF Linguistics
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