10. The relation between language and theory of mind in development and evolution

Abstract

When Tom Givón asked me a while ago what my chapter would be about, I said, “Roughly, about the relation between language and theory of mind. ” His laconic response was, “Well, they are inseparable. ” So, I thought, there goes my chapter. But not really. There is reason to believe that language and theory of mind have co-evolved, given their close relation in development and their tight connection in social behavior. However, they are clearly not inseparable—physiologically, cognitively, or functionally. So the question becomes, “What is the exact relation between language and theory of mind, in evolution, development, and social behavior? ” To answer this question is a daunting task; I will try merely to clear a path toward an answer. I will consider several possible relations between the two faculties, bring conceptual arguments and empirical evidence to bear on them, and end up arguing for an escalation process in which language and theory of mind have fueled each other’s evolution. Some Stipulations About Language and Theory of Mind Language What constitutes genuine language? Modern language is typically described on several distinct levels: phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. To define language, the phonological level should be unimportant, because sign systems can be full-blown languages (Morford, this volume; Goldin-Meadow, this volume). Also, even though phonetic advances may have played an important role in the evolution of human speech (Studdert-Kennedy, 2000b), very early forms of language may not have been spoken but signed (e.g., Corballis, 2000; Donald, 1998; Givón, this volume). The next two levels, morphology and syntax, can vary extensively within systems that should count as language. I am not just referring to the difference between analytic and synthetic * This manuscript is based on “The relation between language and theory of mind in development and evolution,” presented at the symposium on The evolution of language out of pre-language, Institute of Cognitive and Decision

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