Description:
What makes human language unique? How did it evolve? Which of our ancestors already had it? In this lecture, we'll probe into these questions, exploring the seemingly meager evidence coming from archeological digs. In this lecture, we will explore the latest findings in biology, paleoanthropology, genetics and linguistics that shed new light on this fascinating topic. Our focus will be on Neanderthals, our closest biological “cousins”, who mysteriously died out shortly after Homo sapiens populated Europe. Was it our language and Neanderthals' lack thereof that caused their extinction? Or did they have language after all? And most importantly, how can we study such an intricate issue, if all we have left from the Neanderthals are their bones, stone tools, burial sites and other bits and bobs?
Bring to Class:
Location:
Online via Zoom, link will be sent via email prior to the class
Registration Cutoff Date:
