2011/11/21 by Dietrich Stout, Thierry Chaminade · 5 citations
Psychology · #Action Observation and Synchronization #Hearing Impairment and Communication #Language, Metaphor, and Cognition
paper · pdf · doi:10.1098/rstb.2011.0099
openalex publication_date 2011/11/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Long-standing speculations and more recent hypotheses propose a variety of possible evolutionary connections between language, gesture and tool use. These arguments have received important new support from neuroscientific research on praxis, observational action understanding and vocal language demonstrating substantial functional/anatomical overlap between these behaviours. However, valid reasons for scepticism remain as well as substantial differences in detail between alternative evolutionary hypotheses. Here, we review the current status of alternative 'gestural' and 'technological' hypotheses of language origins, drawing on current evidence of the neural bases of speech and tool use generally, and on recent studies of the neural correlates of Palaeolithic technology specifically.