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.

    語言的起源

    雖然語言對人類來說意義非常重大，但是語言的發展一直是認知心理學中沒有解決的一個挑戰。

    不過最近對黑猩猩行為的研究結果能為語言的早期形成提供一些新的線索。

    大腦的左半球控制著我們絕大部分的語言功能。即將發表在2010年1月份的《大腦皮層》（Cortex）雜志上的一項研究發現，當黑猩猩之間互相交流的時候，它們使用右手的傾向性非常強。（大腦左半球控制我們右邊身體的運動）

    研究者們對70只黑猩猩的用手行為進行了長達10個月的研究。他們記錄下了黑猩猩顯示交流的一些動作，比如問候、威脅、邀請、攻擊或者是玩耍。研究者們發現，和其它一些手上動作相比（比如梳毛或者是打開某樣東西）,當黑猩猩嘗試交流的時候，它們用右手要遠遠多于用左手。

    科學家們還發現，黑猩猩之間也使用這種肢體語言進行交流，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言與語言的某些特定含義對應，比如做某事的企圖以及提及幾種物體中的某物。

    不過該研究更有興趣的地方或許在于，它為"交流起源于肢體語言"的理論提供了進一步的支持。這或許能解釋，當我們在異國他鄉的時候，為了讓別人理解我們，為什么我們會拼命舞動我們的手。

    現在我們需要看看我們人類自己是否用右手做手勢的時候多于用左手的時候。

    Vocabulary:

    Chimp:Chimpanzee的縮寫，黑猩猩

    Lingering:遲遲不去的

    Cognitive Psychology:認知心理學

    Evolution:進化

    Clue:線索

    Hemisphere:半球

    Cortex:大腦皮層

    Preference:傾向性

    Communicate: 交流

    Display: 展示

    Aggression: 進攻；侵略

    Significantly: 顯著地

    Manual: 手動的

    Groom: （給自己或其他動物）理毛；梳毛

    Gestural: 手勢的

    Intentionality: 意圖

    Exhaustively: 徹底的；詳盡的；全面的

    Gesticulate: 做手勢；用動作示意