Cover – Konzept und Umsetzung: Elisa Treml - Pro Scientia

VORTRAG SAMSTAG, 03. SEPTEMBER 2011, 16:30 UHR
Tecumseh Fitch, Wien
“The Evolution of Human Language and
Cognition: A Biological Approach”
We can define a language as any system which permits the
detailed expression, in a perceptible signal, of virtually any
thought conceivable, and the corresponding ability to
decode and understand such signals. While most animals
have communication systems, only humans have language
by this definition. However, this does not mean that language
cannot be understood from a biological perspective. Many
of the underlying mechanisms involved in human language
are shared with various other animal species, and the
comparative biological study of such mechanisms can
provide rich insights into these, as well as helping pinpoint
what sub-components of language are potentially unique
to our own species. I will review this research in accessible
terms, showing that a biological and evolutionary approach
to language is both possible and desirable.
Tecumseh Fitch is Professor of Cognitive Biology, in the Department of Cognitive Biology, University
of Vienna. His main interests are in bioacoustics and the evolution of cognition, particularly the
evolution of human speech, language, and music, all studied from a broad comparative perspective
(see his 2010 book “The Evolution of Language”, Cambridge). He conducts experimental research
on vocalization and cognition in humans and a variety of vertebrates, including chimpanzees,
seals, deer, dogs, alligators and parrots.
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