title: Evolution of language: Lessons from the genome.
abstract: The post-genomic era is an exciting time for researchers interested in the biology of speech and language. Substantive advances in molecular methodologies have opened up entire vistas of investigation that were not previously possible, or in some cases even imagined. Speculations concerning the origins of human cognitive traits are being transformed into empirically addressable questions, generating specific hypotheses that can be explicitly tested using data collected from both the natural world and experimental settings. In this article, I discuss a number of promising lines of research in this area. For example, the field has begun to identify genes implicated in speech and language skills, including not just disorders but also the normal range of abilities. Such genes provide powerful entry points for gaining insights into neural bases and evolutionary origins, using sophisticated experimental tools from molecular neuroscience and developmental neurobiology. At the same time, sequencing of ancient hominin genomes is giving us an unprecedented view of the molecular genetic changes that have occurred during the evolution of our species. Synthesis of data from these complementary sources offers an opportunity to robustly evaluate alternative accounts of language evolution. Of course, this endeavour remains challenging on many fronts, as I also highlight in the article. Nonetheless, such an integrated approach holds great potential for untangling the complexities of the capacities that make us human.
authors.affiliation: Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Wundtlaan 1, 6525 XD, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. simon.fisher@mpi.nl.|Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. simon.fisher@mpi.nl.
authors.forename: Simon E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Fisher
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D000072441:DNA, Ancient; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D016678:Genome; D015186:Hominidae / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D009434:Neural Pathways; D013060:Speech
chemical_list: D000072441:DNA, Ancient
keywords: Ancient DNA; Evolution; Genetics and genomics; Model systems; Speech and language