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Richard Dawkins & Steven Pinker Discuss The Evolution Of Pain, Fear & Language

The Poetry of Reality with Richard Dawkins

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Evolution of Languages: From Proto-Indo-European to Modern Language Disorders

The chapter delves into the evolution of languages, discussing the reconstruction of ancestral languages like Proto-Indo-European, the influences of historical events on language development, and how syntax evolved in response to vocabulary and pronunciation changes. It also explores the genetic basis of language, linking language disorders to specific genes found in modern humans and Neanderthals, suggesting a complex evolutionary history. Additionally, the chapter examines language acquisition, comparing spoken and written language learning, and discusses human behaviors and preferences through an evolutionary lens, including attraction to certain facial features and preferences for landscapes resembling ancestral settings.

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