Categorical perception and language evolution: a comparative and neurological perspective

Abstract

[eng] Categorical Perception (CP) is a ubiquitous phenomenon in nature (Eimas et al., 1971; Goldstone and Hendrickson, 2010). Discreteness is a prominent feature of human language (Hockett, 1960). In this paper, we propose that CP could have played a foundational role for discreteness of language in evolution. We firstly approach discreteness from a domain general perspective and highlight how it is salient in language. Then by reviewing CP of sounds in non-human animals, we argue that CP has its phylogenetic roots in terms of evolution. Following this, we explain how CP could have been the basis for discreteness with neurological evidence focusing on the auditory cortex, (pre)motor cortex and the basal ganglia. At last, we suggest that clinical linguistics provides revealing insights on the role of CP in language. The current work discusses the role of perception in language evolution, which provides a new avenue to explore the evolution of human language from the sensory-motor system.