>> "The archaeological record shows clearly that the Neanderthals were
>> less inventive, less innovative, than the modern humans who replaced
>> them. But there's no denying that, like us, they had large
>> brains. Does this imply that even if they were rather unimaginative,
>> they possessed other human features such as language? IT TURNS OUT
>> THAT NEITHER THE SIZE NOR THE EXTERNAL APPEARANCE OF THE BRAIN IS OF
>> MUCH USE HERE: THERE IS SIMPLY NO WAY OF READING FUNCTION WITH
>> ADEQUATE PRECISION FROM THE BUMPS AND FISSURES ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE
>> BRAIN (AND STILL LESS FROM BRAIN CASTS). SO NO HELP IS FORTHCOMING
>> FROM THAT DIRECTION." ("The Fossil Trail, pg. 211).
Jim, you seemed to like my statement that Broca'a region in ancient
hominids can't be used to prove anything. To be fair, you should admit
that the vocal tract analyses you depend on to show Neandertals couldn't
speak are equally uncertain. Tattersall points out on the next page
that very little of the hyoid bone actually ossifies, and gives the
impression that this argument is still up for grabs; whereas you make it
sound as if it was definitive.
Your two main arguments for "an explosive beginning" have been the
sudden appearance of the Cro-Magnon culture, and the anatomical evidence
about speech capabilities, but these two markers occurred at different
times. Cro-Magnons appeared about 40,000 years ago, and the first
H.sapiens sapiens we know are about 120,000 years ago. Signs of modern
anatomy in the larynx go back farther still; as Tattersall says, again
on page 211, the Kabwe [Rhodesian Man] skull, at 150,000 years+ "looks
almost modern in this respect".
Re the quote below which you gave earlier:
>> articulate language depends. Primitively, the base of the hominoid
>> (indeed, mammal) skull is flat. This reflects the presence of a high
>> larynx and a short pharynx, LIMITING THE RANGE OF SOUNDS THAT CAN BE
>> MADE. AMONG MODERN HUMANS IN CONTRAST, SPACE FOR A HIGH, LOOPING
>> PHARYNX IS CREATED BY BENDING THE BASE OF THE SKULL DOWNWARD,
>> CREATING A CHARACTERISTIC FLEXION." (Id.).
This is comparing hominoids [i.e. apes] with modern humans. Tattersall
is not saying that nothing before H. sapiens could speak (as Jim may
well be aware, but it is easy to misread the above paragraph and assume
that Tattersall is contrasting us with all earlier hominids).
In fact, on the same page, Tattersall says that Homo ergaster (his
terminology for early African erectus specimens) has a "slight but
measurable flexion". This would seem consistent with the other evidence
of speech ability [Broca's region] in Homo erectus.
-- Jim Foley Symbios Logic, Fort Collins, COJim.Foley@symbios.com (303) 223-5100 x9765