MULTI MODULAR SYSTEMS AND LANGUAGE EVOLUTION

MULTI MODULAR SYSTEMS AND LANGUAGE EVOLUTION

People always say left brain controls certain functions,and right brain for certain functions,but for current research,it is not the case.In fact,the both are working together.That's a very interesting phenomenon.Luke Mastin(2012)put out our brain and body are integrated as a whole system(see Figure 5),which is in concord with our view.5The hand,the foot,the skin,the eyes are working together to realize certain functions including language processing.Probablly that is how language evolution takes place and starts from here.

Figure 5 Body and hand are integrated as a whole system

Figure 6 the learning channels of“banana”

The newly psychological findings from Ebisch,S.J.et al(2011)has proved that there really exists the paralle multimodel system,a brain and body integrated system we mentioned above.6 They find that there is an integrated system combining our body and sensor system,which can let us distinguish our own experiences from the experienes arising from obeservations of others.So seeing or looking at other people walking,we can imitate or learn for that.Those paralle mutimodels working together and this is why the information we receive either from our ear,skin,eyes or mouth.For example,when we are learning the word“banana”(see Figure 6),actually we are utilizing all our senses to experience what a banana is.A banana must be related to all possible sensor channels.We can learn the word from its color by seeing,flavor by tasting,odor by smelling,shape by touching.We can also learn the word to peer the banana by our hands and fingers.

In fact,there have been many studies which highlight how language processing and comprehension make use of neural systems ordinarily used for perception and action(Lakoff,1987;Zwaan,2004;Barsalou,1999;Gallese,2008;Glenberg,1999,2010).For example,when humans process the word“cup”they seem to reenact(and therefore internally simulate)many of the perceptual,motor and affective representations related to a cup(Barsalou,1999).In a similar way,sentences and abstract words are understood by creating a simulation of the actions underlying them(Glenberg and Kaschak,2002;see also Borghi & Cimatti,2009,for a new formulation of embodiment of abstract words which includes social aspects).Moreover,when hearing a verbal description of a visually available scene,humans tend to look at objects that are about to be mentioned(Tanenhaus,Spivey-Knowlton,Eberhard,&Sedivy,1995),indicating rapid and predictive comprehension that is tightly linked to action.

So we can see language learning is information perception(see Figure 7).And this is how language is involved with our different perceptions.But it is possible that any sells or any modules in such a system would relate to language evolution.So that is why we say language evolution theory is a huge area.It is a very complex area that we call complex dynamic system.

Figure 7 Language evolution and performance of sensor system

The multi modular system also reminds us that human communication proficiency relates to language evolution closely.As the agent is acting to environment,any people in the communication is not always using their voice,instead,they use their fingers,hands,face expression,eyesight,even the personal distance between the two interlocutors.And all of the perceived information joint with the voice to become the synthetic information which is the real final destination of the speech partner reach.