title: Group size, vocal grooming and the origins of language.
abstract: I argue that speech and language evolved through a series of stages individually designed to break through successive glass ceilings on group size. Language was simply the last of these (and hence evolved late in hominin evolution), but its precursors (laughter and singing) each played a crucial role in preparing the way for speech production.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3UD, UK. robin.dunbar@psy.ox.ac.uk.
authors.forename: R I M
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Dunbar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D015186:Hominidae; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D007845:Laughter; D063346:Singing
keywords: Grooming; Language; Laughter; Singing