Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

The origin of language: Symbiosism and symbiomism

George van Driem

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterResearch

    Abstract

    Symbiosism is a Darwinian model oflanguage and its emergence. Symbiotic Theory operates on the Leiden definition of memes as isofunctional neuroanatomical entities corresponding to linguistic signs in the Saussurean sense, not on the Oxonian conception of memes as units of imitation. Symbiosism treats linguistic forms as vehicles for the reproduction of meaningful elements in the hominid brain and so transcends the obsolete discord between the functionalist or European structuralist conception oflanguage, whereby linguistic forms are seen as instruments used to convey meaningful elements, and the formalist or generative approach, whereby linguistic forms are treated as abstract structures which can be filled with meaningful elements. Symbiomism is the philosophy of life which grew out of Symbiosism and which understands our individual and collective human identity as symbiomes of a biological host and a semiotic symbiont.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationIn Hot Pursuit of Language in Prehistory: Essays in the four fields of anthropology
    EditorsJohn D Bengtson
    Place of PublicationAmsterdam, Netherlands
    PublisherJohn Benjamins
    Pages381-400
    Edition1
    ISBN (Print)9789027232526, 9789027289858
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2008

    Keywords

    • Language in Time and Space (incl Historical Linguistics, Dialectology)

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'The origin of language: Symbiosism and symbiomism'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this