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Why language survives as the dominant communication tool: A neurocognitive perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 September 2021

Qing Zhang  and
Edward Ruoyang Shi Open the ORCID record for Edward Ruoyang Shi [Opens in a new window]
Qing Zhang
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou510006, Chinazhangqing3@mail.sysu.edu.cn
Edward Ruoyang Shi
Affiliation:
Department of Catalan Philology and General Linguistics, University of Barcelona, Gran Via de Les Corts Catalanes, 585, 08007Barcelona, Spain. edwardshiruoyangend@gmail.com; http://departament-filcat-linguistica.ub.edu/directori-organitzatiu/edward-ruoyang-shi
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Abstract

By focusing on the contributions of subcortical structures, our commentary suggests that the functions of the hippocampus underlying “displacement,” a feature enabling humans to communicate things and situations that are remote in space and time, make language more effective at social bonding. Based on the functions of the basal ganglia and hippocampus, evolutionary trajectory of the subcomponents of music and language in different species will also be discussed.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 44 , 2021 , e94
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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