Keywords
Heterochrony
Biolinguistics
Evolutionary linguistics
How to Cite
Funding data
-
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Grant numbers 17/24709-0
Abstract
Most reviews on primatology focus on the similarities between the species of Pan (chimpanzees and bonobos) and Homo (sapiens) genera. In this paper, however, we review the literature on heterochronic differences in ontogenetic development of species in order to raise a discussion about their behavioral differences, particularly in relation to the human communication system. A key concept discussed here is neoteny, which refers to the slowed rate of species development. Human biology exhibits high levels of neoteny, resulting in a prolonged period of development during the first decade of postnatal life. Human neoteny enables the brain to develop in conjunction with physical and social environments, emphasizing that biology and society should not be perceived as distinct perspectives of the same process, but rather as interdependent processes that collaborate for the normal development of human beings. In order to identify biological concepts that may have contributed to the emergence of language, throughout this paper we explore how neoteny can be a potential explanatory concept to some of the behavioral differences between species, and how this may relate to cognitive systems such as language acquisition in Homo sapiens.
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