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'Homo' on Flores: Some early implications for the evolution of language and cognition

Michael J Morwood, Dorothea Cogill-Koez

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterResearch

Abstract

The Indonesian island of Flores has yielded evidence of a new hominin species, 'Homo floresiensis', and an earlier species currently known from tools only. This chapter reflects on some of the implications the new finds may have for the evolution of language and cognition. In the light of relevant existing patterns of argument about early hominin morphology and behaviour, the Flores finds appear to weaken the argument for "big brains" as a sufficient cause of cognitive and linguistic abilities, to highlight, conversely, the significance of brain reorganisation events in human evolution, and to refocus attention back onto the very dawn of our genus as the point at which interestingly human patterns of communication and cognition are likely to have appeared.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMental States
EditorsAndrea C Schalley, Drew Khlentzos
Place of PublicationAmsterdam, Netherlands
PublisherJohn Benjamins Publishing Company
Pages43-73
Volume1: Evolution, function, nature
Edition1
ISBN (Print)9789027231024, 9789027231055
Publication statusPublished - 2007

Publication series

NameStudies in Language Companion Series (SLCS)
Number92
ISSN (Electronic)0165-7763

Keywords

  • Indonesian Languages
  • Linguistic Processes (incl Speech Production and Comprehension)

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