The Roots of Language

    One of the lingering challenges in cognitive psychology is the evolution of language. Even though it's so much a part of what it means to be human.

    But a new clue to language's early formation comes from chimpanzee behavior.

    It's the brain's left hemisphere that controls most of our language-and a study to be published in the January 2010 issue of the journal Cortex shows that chimps have a strong preference for using their right hands when communicating. （The left hemisphere controls movement on the right side of our body.）

    Researchers studied hand use in 70 chimps over 10 months. They recorded movements that displayed communications like greeting, threat, invitations, aggression or play. And found that chimps used their right hand significantly more when trying to communicate, than for other manual actions （like grooming or opening something）.

    Scientists also showed that this type of gestural communication is used between chimps, and not just when they were trying to communicate with humans. Interesting to note the chimps' gestures matched some specifics of language, like intentionality to do something and making references between objects.

    But perhaps even more interesting is that this study provides further support to the theory that our communication originated with gestures. Which might explain why we wave our hands, exhaustively, when trying to be understood in countries where we don't speak the language.

    Now, we should see for ourselves if we gesticulate more righty than lefty.

    語(yǔ)言的起源

    雖然語(yǔ)言對(duì)人類(lèi)來(lái)說(shuō)意義非常重大，但是語(yǔ)言的發(fā)展一直是認(rèn)知心理學(xué)中沒(méi)有解決的一個(gè)挑戰(zhàn)。

    不過(guò)最近對(duì)黑猩猩行為的研究結(jié)果能為語(yǔ)言的早期形成提供一些新的線(xiàn)索。

    大腦的左半球控制著我們絕大部分的語(yǔ)言功能。即將發(fā)表在2010年1月份的《大腦皮層》（Cortex）雜志上的一項(xiàng)研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，當(dāng)黑猩猩之間互相交流的時(shí)候，它們使用右手的傾向性非常強(qiáng)。（大腦左半球控制我們右邊身體的運(yùn)動(dòng)）

    研究者們對(duì)70只黑猩猩的用手行為進(jìn)行了長(zhǎng)達(dá)10個(gè)月的研究。他們記錄下了黑猩猩顯示交流的一些動(dòng)作，比如問(wèn)候、威脅、邀請(qǐng)、攻擊或者是玩耍。研究者們發(fā)現(xiàn)，和其它一些手上動(dòng)作相比（比如梳毛或者是打開(kāi)某樣?xùn)|西）,當(dāng)黑猩猩嘗試交流的時(shí)候，它們用右手要遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)多于用左手。

    科學(xué)家們還發(fā)現(xiàn)，黑猩猩之間也使用這種肢體語(yǔ)言進(jìn)行交流，而不僅僅局限于它們和人的交流。有意思的是，黑猩猩的這些肢體語(yǔ)言與語(yǔ)言的某些特定含義對(duì)應(yīng)，比如做某事的企圖以及提及幾種物體中的某物。

    不過(guò)該研究更有興趣的地方或許在于，它為"交流起源于肢體語(yǔ)言"的理論提供了進(jìn)一步的支持。這或許能解釋?zhuān)��?dāng)我們?cè)诋悋?guó)他鄉(xiāng)的時(shí)候，為了讓別人理解我們，為什么我們會(huì)拼命舞動(dòng)我們的手。

    現(xiàn)在我們需要看看我們?nèi)祟?lèi)自己是否用右手做手勢(shì)的時(shí)候多于用左手的時(shí)候。

    Vocabulary:

    Chimp:Chimpanzee的縮寫(xiě)，黑猩猩

    Lingering:遲遲不去的

    Cognitive Psychology:認(rèn)知心理學(xué)

    Evolution:進(jìn)化

    Clue:線(xiàn)索

    Hemisphere:半球

    Cortex:大腦皮層

    Preference:傾向性

    Communicate: 交流

    Display: 展示

    Aggression: 進(jìn)攻；侵略

    Significantly: 顯著地

    Manual: 手動(dòng)的

    Groom: （給自己或其他動(dòng)物）理毛；梳毛

    Gestural: 手勢(shì)的

    Intentionality: 意圖

    Exhaustively: 徹底的；詳盡的；全面的

    Gesticulate: 做手勢(shì)；用動(dòng)作示意