Glen (ME) wrote:
>>Hi, Glen here. Hate to set the conversation back a few notches but >> I
>>just got here and I have to ask: What's AAT exactly?
Marc Verhaegen wrote:
>Humans developed a lot of features that are different from the apes: >no
>fur, a lot of subcutaneous fat, a big brain, an external nose, >extremely
>long legs, bipedalism etc. [...]
>Humans are excellent (though slow) divers, as opposed to all other
> >primates. Diving was probably the reason why we can voluntarily >control
>our breathing, which eventually led to voluntary speech.
Aaaaahhhh! (Flash of immediate understanding) Thank you Marc. I was
expecting something weirder than that. Actually, that helps me understand
the riddle within my own views on language origins: why it is that we as
humans would shift our focus from a sign language to a vocal one (since I
don't see an immediate survival advantage over the silent sign language that
would remain excellent for hunting over vocal communication). This theory
provides an interesting explanation for the gradual evolution of vocal
language without getting contrived. Hmm, I don't find that idea too strange
at all. I will adapt that to my ideas and I'll try to look into that some
more.
So essentially this is an aquatic, Out-Of-Indian hypothesis on human
origins. Nifty. What are the cons to the idea? Any Piaget people in the
house?
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