迪肯语言进化观述评

A Review of Terrence Deacon's Viewpoints of Language Evolution

迪肯的语言进化理论在当代进化语言学界有较大代表性,其主要观点可概括为:(1)语言是一个复杂的突现系统,语言学习依赖一种倾向性学习能力,语法结构的共性来自各种约束条件的共同作用,皆非简单的先天、后天可以单独解释;(2)先天语法不具备可进化性,象征性符号使用能力等皆为人脑对语言产生的适应,鲍德温效应、基因同化和"懒惰基因"效应对解释语言和大脑的共同进化具有重要的意义;(3)语言能力的选择优势在于解决人类社会化生存的压力,使原始人更好交流信息,构建出有利于其生存的社会生态小生境。这种理论虽然能够较好地与当代进化生物学和进化神经科学层面的最新研究成果相衔接,但在解释语言如何习得和语言结构共性如何产生层面仍有很多深层次问题需要解决。

Deacon＇s theory of language evolution can be summarized as follows. （ 1 ） Language is a complex adaptive system. Language acquisition is not a simple question of nature or nurture, but highly depends on our learning bias for language. The core similarities of language structures emerge from synergic effects of various constraints, and there is not an innate genuine to be the basis of human capacities of language acquisition and universal grammar （UG）. （2） There is not any evolutionary plausibility for the ＂UG＂ termed by Noam Chomsky. Natural selection can explain the evolutionary process of language. Baldwin effect, genetic assimilation and ＂lazy gene＂ effect can play active roles in the explanation of the co-evolution of language and brain. （3） The emergence of the systemic use of symbols whose selective advantage is probably to loosen the pressures brought by social life and to make communication more convenient for hominid, is one of the most important steps in the evolution of language capacity, which is helpful to the building of the ecological niche construction useful to human survivals. Though this theory can be more consistent with the experimental fruits from the up-to-date development of evolutionary biology, especially evolutionary neuroscience, it has to answer many profound questions related to language acquisition and the core similarities of language structures.