Evolution of Language

Evidence from fossils as well as from the archaeological record and its biological bases allows us to rule out implausible scenarios and permit reasonable inferences concerning the evolution of language. Human language serves as a medium of both thought and communication. Specialized anatomy has evolved to enhance the robustness of human speech. Specialized neural capacities are implicated in speech production and confer the cognitive capacities that make language possible. It is unlikely that any single factor, such as social interaction, could have led to the evolution of human linguistic capabilities. Natural selection rules out the universal grammar posited by Noam Chomsky.