Language as a parasite to emotional signals
Language as a parasite to emotional signals
复制标题
语言是情感信号的寄生虫
DOI：
10.12775/3991-1.087
复制
发表时间：
2018
影响因子：
0.9
通讯作者：
K. Okanoya
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
K. Okanoya
从进化生物学的信号理论来看，语言的进化是一个两难的选择（Searcy & Nowicki, 2005）。这种困境源于语言的两重性。一是讲话内容、语言表达不诚实。这是因为内容并不总是以现实为基础，而且由于词和句子的组成性质，表达是无限的。此外，语言内容的成本相当低（Lachmann et al, 2001）。说话者很容易以听者的利益为代价传递错误的信息。在接受语言信息之前，说话者和听话者之间必须建立信任，但这个过程本身是昂贵的（Dawkins & Guilford, 1991）。其次，语言行为包括身体动作、面部表情、韵律、音量、流利度和词汇，这些都是健康、智力和基因健康的真实信号。语言的创造性依赖于语言内容的“非根基性”，即对虚假信息开放。如果是这样，为什么这种不诚实的信号会进化出来呢？我将对这个问题提出一个假设。陆生动物的声音交流可能开始于与呼吸、下颚或与捕食或进食有关的呼吸动作有关的噪音。这些声音和身体动作逐渐仪式化，形成反映意图或情绪状态的运动动作的“固定动作模式”（Newman, 2012）。特别是，与呼吸动作相关的发声成为情绪状态（如恐惧或满足）或意图（如攻击或交配）的指标。因此，动物的叫声被确立为内部状态的可靠指示器。在某些物种中，这种叫声的随机组合被年幼的动物用来诱导父母的行为，也许是因为它们提醒父母不成熟的发音。然后雄性动物利用这种效应来吸引或抑制雌性动物的逃跑行为。这种声音的极端是歌声，许多鸟类和一些鲸鱼和灵长类动物用于吸引配偶和/或领土防御（Fitch, 2006）。364
The evolution of speech poses a dilemma when viewed from the signaling theory in evolutionary biology (Searcy & Nowicki, 2005). The dilemma comes from dual nature of speech. First, the content of speech, linguistic expressions, is not honest. This is because the content is not always grounded with the reality and by compositional nature of words and sentences, expression is infinite. Furthermore, the cost of linguistic content is quite low (Lachmann et al, 2001). The speaker can easily transmit false information regarding with the cost/benefit of the hearer. Trust must be established between the speaker and hearer before taking the linguistic message but such process itself is costly (Dawkins & Guilford, 1991). Second, the act of speech including bodily movement, facial expression, prosody, loudness, fluency, and vocabulary are mostly honest signals for health, intelligence, and genetic fitness. The creativity of language rests on the “ungrounded-ness” of linguistic content that is open to false information. If so, why did such a dishonest signal evolved at all? I will lay out a hypothesis on this issue. Acoustical communication in terrestrial animals perhaps started as noises contingent with breathing and jaw or respiratory gestures associated with predation or feeding. These noises and bodily movements were gradually ritualized, forming the “fixed action patterns” of motor actions reflecting intentional or emotional states (Newman, 2012). Especially, vocalizations associated with respiratory action became indicators of emotional states such as fear or contentment, or that of intentions such as attack or copulation. Animal calls were thus established as an honest indicator of the internal state. In certain species, stochastic combinations of such calls were used by young animals to induce parental behavior, perhaps because they reminded parents of immature articulation. This effect was then utilized by male animals to attract, or to suppress escape behavior of females. Extremes of such vocalizations are songs, used for mate attraction and/or territorial defense by many species of birds and some species of whales and primates (Fitch, 2006). 364