[Upcoming Lecture] “Tracing the Origins of Speech”
Annual Speaker Series on Human Origins, Calendar of Events, news_one, Paleoanthropology | 1 Comment
Tracing the Origins of Speech
Jeffrey T. Laitman, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
The ability for speech is one of the most distinguishing characteristics of our species. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a world without speech. Yet this quintessential human trait was probably not present as we know it in our early ancestors.
When, then, did early hominids cross some threshold leaving behind the limitations of ape-like grunts and growls for the variety of sounds in human speech?
This is a question that has long intrigued, and yet puzzled, scholars from enlightenment philosophes to modern paleoneurologists (those who study fossil brains.) Approaches that examine the evolution of the vocal tract of our ancestors are providing clues to solving this mystery. With new evidence from both the fossil human record, and advances in understanding vocal tract anatomy, function and neural development, we are gaining insight into the speech capabilities of our ancestors –from the earliest australopiths to close relatives such as Neanderthals –and reconstructing how changes occurred.
Saturday, October 9 @ 1:00 pm
The Field Museum | Chicago, IL
Free with museum admission.
Generous support provided by The Segal Family Foundation.
Yes indeed.My father would be most pleased at the increasing interest in language etc as aspects of behaviour linking pre human and human. That was why he encouraged Jane and Dianne and Birute’s work. I have recently met somebody already ‘expert’ in
dance and fascinated at this viewable as yet another aspect able to be studied. He is already a senior lecturer in dance at this Lincoln University and has well reviewed published books so has great potential value to anthropology!! and LF aims ( and LSBL’s of course as well. He is loking for new ventures!
August 28th, 2010 at 1:32 PM (#)