Abstract

In this paper I discuss scientific and philosophical issues related to the interdisciplinary area of Neurolinguistics, focusing on the origin and nature of human language. What kind of evolutionary process leads to the emergence of language? I propose that this process began with the adoption of bipedalism, triggering the co-evolution of new brain structures and forms of social organization. This process created a context that favoured the emergence of articulated vocalization using a combinatorial linguistic system. The identification of sufficient conditions for the emergence of human language in this context depends on the paradigm adopted for the analysis. I look for a synthesis of nativist and constructivist paradigms, showing that both contribute to an understanding of the origin and nature of human language.