Membership Enforcement as a Driver of the Evolution of Language

Daniil Ryabko; Alvaro Mbeju Moreno

doi:10.20944/preprints202005.0272.v1

Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Version 1 : Received: 15 May 2020 / Approved: 16 May 2020 / Online: 16 May 2020 (17:11:00 CEST)
Version 2 : Received: 7 September 2022 / Approved: 7 September 2022 / Online: 7 September 2022 (08:13:41 CEST)

A novel hypothesis concerning language evolution is advanced. It posits that languages have evolved as a means of binding individuals to a group, as well as for defining those groups. This means that language evolution has to be considered on the level of groups and not only on the level of individuals. This hypothesis helps to explain the huge diversity of human languages, as well as their complexity. Perhaps more importantly, it explains why adults lose the ability to learn languages with the ease that children possess.

language evolution; evolution of altruism; group evolution

Social Sciences, Sociology

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Membership Enforcement as a Driver of the Evolution of Language

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