Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Cognitive Pragmatics and Evolutionism

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Further Advances in Pragmatics and Philosophy: Part 2 Theories and Applications

Part of the book series: Perspectives in Pragmatics, Philosophy & Psychology ((PEPRPHPS,volume 20))

  • 570 Accesses

Abstract

In this paper we put forward an evolutionary hypothesis on the role of pragmatics. We are perfectly aware that the definition of the term “evolutionary” is controversial. The matter gets worse when we apply the term to pragmatics, which in turn is not a homogeneous area of research.

Here we argue that pragmatics need to avoid taking two opposite attitudes. The first one is to passively embrace the variability of cultural contexts, and the endless proliferation of their “ad hoc” rules, which would jeopardise any scientific aspiration. The second one is to comply with the principles of logical formalism; such operation would in fact excessively restrict the number of real explicable phenomena, as has already happened with some analytical philosophical approach or, over the last century, with Chomskyan Universal Grammar.

An evolutionarily oriented cognitive pragmatics might escape both traps by establishing a finite number of natural mental procedures that could explain the core principles of any species-specific social behavior.

This approach is based on our attempt to figure out whether contemporary pragmatics is culturally oriented or not, and on the existence of pragmatic studies that rely on naturalistic explanations.

Finally, we will argue that a biologically grounded account is necessary in order to furnish a scientific ground even to the most extreme cultural approaches to pragmatics. This would allow pragmatics to enter the cognitive science’s paradigm, which is considered today the best way to unify human and natural sciences.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abu-Lughod, L. (1991). Writing against culture. In R. G. Fox (Ed.), Recapturing anthropology: Working in the present. Santa Fe: School of American Research Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ackermann, H., Hage, S. R., & Ziegler, W. (2014). Brain mechanisms of acoustic communication in humans and nonhuman primates: An evolutionary perspective. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 37, 529–604.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allan, K., & Jaczcolt, K. M. (2012). The Cambridge handbook of pragmatics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Mutairi, F. R. (2014). The minimalist program the nature and plausibility of Chomsky’s biolinguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Berwick, R. C., & Chomsky, N. (2011). The biolinguistic program: The current state of its development. In A. M. Di Sciullo & C. Boeckx (Eds.), The biolinguistic enterprise. New perspective on the evolution and nature on the human language faculty (19–41). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bianchi, C. (2009). Pragmatica cognitiva. I meccanismi della comunicazione. Roma-Bari: Laterza.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brogaard, B. (2012). Context and content: Pragmatics in two-dimensional semantics. In K. Allan & K. M. Jaczcolt (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of pragmatics (pp. 113–134). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Capone, A. (2005). Pragmemes (a study with reference to English and Italian). Journal of Pragmatics, 37, 1355–1371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Capone, A. (2013). The pragmatics of pronominal clitics and propositional attitudes. Intercultural Pragmatics, 10(3), 459–485.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Capone, A. (2017). Introducing the notion of the pragmeme. In K. Allan, A. Capone, I. Kecskes (Eds.), Pragmemes and theories of language use. Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carston, R. (2012). Metaphor and the literal/non-literal distinction. In K. Allan & K.M. Jaczcolt (eds) The Cambridge handbook of pragmatics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 469–492.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Cavalli-Sforza, L. L. (2004). L’evoluzione della cultura. Proposte concrete per studi futuri. Milano: Codice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheney, D. L., & Seyfarth, R. M. (1985). Vervet monkey alarm calls: Manipulation through shared information? Behaviour, 94(1/2), 150–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheney, D. L., & Seyfarth, R. M. (2005). Constraints and preadaptations in the earliest stages of language evolution. The Linguistic Review, 22, 135–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chomsky, N. (1999). Stemmer, B. (ed.). An on-line interview with Noam Chomsky: On the nature of pragmatics and related issues. Brain and Language, 68(3), 393–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chomsky, N. (2000). Minimalist inquiries: The framework. In R. Martin, D. Michaels, & J. Uriagereka (Eds.), Step by step: Essays in minimalist syntax in honor of Howard Lasnik (pp. 89–155). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coudé, G., Ferrari, P. F., Rodà, F., Maranesi, M., Borelli, E., Veroni, V., et al. (2011). Neurons controlling voluntary vocalization in the macaque ventral premotor cortex. PloS One, 6(11), e26822.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crockford, C., Wittig, R. M., Mundry, R., & Zuberbühler, K. (2012). Wild Chimpanzees inform ignorant group members of danger. Current Biology, 22, 142–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cummings, L. (2009). Clinical pragmatics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Cummings, L. (2014). Pragmatic disorders. Dordrecht: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Edelman, G. M. (1992). Bright air, brilliant fire. On the matter of the mind. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falzone, A. (2012). Evoluzionismo e comunicazione. Nuove ipotesi sulla selezione naturale nei linguaggi animali e umani. Roma: Corisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falzone, A. (2014). Structural constraints on language. RSL. Italian Journal of Cognitive Science, 1(2), 247–266.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feinberg, D. R. (2008). Are human faces and voices ornaments signaling common underlying cues to mate value? Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews, 17, 112–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fitch, W. T. (2000). The evolution of speech: A comparative review. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 7, 258–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fukushima, M., Saunders, R.C., Fujii, N., Averbeck, B.B., & Mishkin, M. (2014). Modeling vocalization with ECoG cortical activity recorded during vocal production in the macaque monkey. In 36th annual international conference of the IEEE engineering in medicine and biology soci- ety, IEEE, (pp. 6794–6797).

    Google Scholar 

  • Garfinkel, H. (1967). Studies in ethnomethodology. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Genty, E., Clay, Z., Hobaiter, C., & Zuberbühler, K. (2014). Multi-modal use of a socially directed call in bonobos. PloS one, 9(1), e84738.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ginzburg, C. (1979). Spie. Radici di un paradigma indiziario. In A. Gargani (Ed.), Crisi della ragione. Nuovi modelli nel rapporto tra sapere e attività umane. Torino: Einaudi.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hage, S. R., & Nieder, A. (2015). Audio-vocal interaction in single neurons of the monkey ventro- lateral prefrontal cortex. The Journal of Neuroscience, 35(18), 7030–7040.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanks, W. F. (1996). Language form and communicative practice. In J. Gumperz & S. C. Levinson (Eds.), Rethinking linguistic relativism (pp. 242–270). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haug, M., & Jaczcolt, K. M. (2012). Speaker intentions and intentionality. In K. Allan & K. M. Jaczcolt (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of pragmatics (pp. 87–112). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hauser, M. D., Chomsky, N., & Fitch, W. T. (2002). The faculty of language: What is it, who has it, and how did it evolve? Science, 298(5598), 1569–1579.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hauser, M. D., Yang, C., Berwick, R. C., Tattersall, I., Ryan, M. J., Watumull, J., et al. (2014). The mystery of language evolution. Frontiers in psychology, 5, 401.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heritage, J. (1984). Garfinkel and ethnomethodology. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hopkins, W. D., Taglialatela, J. P., & Leavens, D. A. (2007). Chimpanzees differentially produce novel vocalizations to capture the attention of a human. Animal behaviour, 73(2), 281–286. Houzeau, J. C. (1872). Études sur les facultés mentales des animaux. Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, S. M., Farley, S. D., & Rhodes, B. C. (2010). Vocal and physiological changes in response to the physical attractiveness of conversational partners. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 34(3), 155–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, S. M., Mogilski, J. K., & Harrison, M. A. (2014). The perception and parameters of intentional voice manipulation. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 38(1), 107–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kecskes, I. (2012). Sociopragmatics and cross-cultural and intercultural studies. In K. Allan & K. M. Jaczcolt (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of pragmatics (pp. 599–516). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaminski, J., Call, J., & Fischer, J. (2004). Word learning in a domestic dog: Evidence for ‘fast mapping’. Science, 304, 1682–1683.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kempe, V., Puts, D. A., & Cárdenas, R. A. (2013). Masculine men articulate less clearly. Human Nature, 24(4), 461–475.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kempson, R. (2012). The syntax/pragmatics interface. In Allan & Jaczcolt (2012), 529–548.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klofstad, C. A., Anderson, R. C., & Nowicki, S. (2015). Perceptions of competence, strength, and age influence voters to select leaders with lower-pitched voices. PloS one, 10(8), e0133779.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lameira, A. R., Hardus, M. E., Kowalsky, B., de Vries, H., Spruijt, B. M., Sterck, E. H., et al. (2013). Orangutan (Pongo spp.) whistling and implications for the emergence of an open- ended call repertoire: A replication and extension. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 134(3), 2326–2335.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lameira, A. R., Hardus, M. E., Bartlett, A. M., Shumaker, R. W., Wich, S. A., & Menken, S. B. (2015). Speech-like rhythm in a voiced and voiceless orangutan call. PloS one, 10(1), e116136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laporte, M. N., & Zuberbühler, K. (2010). Vocal greeting behaviour in wild chimpanzee females. Animal Behaviour, 80(3), 467–473.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leech, G. (1983). Principles of pragmatics. London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leroi-Gourhan, A. (1964). Le geste et la parole (Vol. 2) (trans: Bostock, A., Gesture and speech. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1993). Paris: Albin Michel.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leongómez, J. D., Binter, J., Kubicová, L., Stolaová, P., Klapilová, K., Havlí ek, J., & Roberts, S. C. (2014). Vocal modulation during courtship increases proceptivity even in naive listeners. Evolution and Human Behavior, 35(6), 489–496.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macagno, F., & Capone, A. (2016). Uncommon ground. Intercultural Pragmatics, 13(2), 151–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mey, J. (2001). Pragmatics: An introduction. Malden: Blackwell Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mey, J. (2006). Pragmatics: An overview. In K. Brown (Ed.), Encyclopedia of language and linguistics (Vol. x, pp. 51–62). Amsterdam: Elsevier. Mey, J. (2015). On social pragmatics: its origin and early development. Globe: A Journal of Language, Culture and Communication, 1, 209–211.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mey, J. (2017). Why we need the pragmemes. In K. Allan, A. Capone, I. Kecskes (Eds.), Pragmemes and theories of language use. Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, C. T., Thomas, A. W., Nummela, S. U., & Lisa, A. (2015). Responses of primate frontal cortex neurons during natural vocal communication. Journal of Neurophysiology, 114(2), 1158–1171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morris, C. W. (1938). Foundations of the theory of signs. International Encyclopedia of Unified Science. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nerlich, B., & Clarke, D. D. (1996). Language, action, and context: The early history of pragmatics in Europe and America, 1780–1930. Amsterdam: J. Benjamins.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor, J. J., Pisanski, K., Tigue, C. C., Fraccaro, P. J., & Feinberg, D. R. (2014). Perceptions of infidelity risk predict women’s preferences for low male voice pitch in short-term over long-term relationship contexts. Personality and Individual differences, 56, 73–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pennisi, A., & Falzone A. (2016). Darwinian Biolinguistics. Theory and History of a Naturalistic Philosophy of Language and Pragmatics. Cham: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perlman, M., & Clark, N. (2015). Learned vocal and breathing behavior in an enculturated gorilla. Animal Cognition, 18(5), 1165–1179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pisanski, K., Cartei, V., McGettigan, C., Raine, J., & Reby, D. (2016). Voice modulation: A window into the origins of human vocal control? Trends in cognitive sciences, 20(4), 304–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pisanski, K., Fraccaro, P. J., Tigue, C. C., O’Connor, J. J., Röder, S., Andrews, P. W., et al. (2014). Vocal indicators of body size in men and women: A meta-analysis. Animal Behaviour, 95, 89–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pisanski, K., & Bryant, G. A. (2016). The evolution of voice perception. In N. S. Eidsheim & K. L. Meizel (Eds.), The. Oxford Handbook of Voice Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press (in press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Puts, D. A., Gaulin, S. J., & Verdolini, K. (2006). Dominance and the evolution of sexual dimorphism in human voice pitch. Evolution and Human Behavior, 27(4), 283–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Recanati, F. (2012). Contextualism: Some varieties. In Allan & Jaczcolt (2012), 135–150.

    Google Scholar 

  • Remotti, F. (2011). Cultura: Dalla complessità all’impoverimento. Roma-Bari: Laterza.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schel, A. M., Townsend, S. W., Machanda, Z., Zuberbühler, K., & Slocombe, K. E. (2013). Chimpanzee alarm call production meets key criteria for intentionality. PLoS One, 8(10), e76674.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schusterman, R. J., Kastak, C. R., & Kastak, D. (2002). The cognitive sea lion: Meaning and memory in the laboratory and in nature. In The cognitive animal. Empirical and theoretical perspectives on animal cognition (pp. 217–228). Cambridge (MA): The MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, R. K. (1995). Natural and relational concepts in animals. Comparative approaches to cognitive science, 175, 224.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomasello, M. (1999). The cultural origins of human cognition. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomasello, M. (2008). Origins of human communication. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Tomasello, M. (2014). A natural history of human thinking. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Tomasello, M. (2015). A natural history of human morality. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Traugott, E. C. (2012). Pragmatics and language change. In K. Allan & K. Jaczcolt (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of pragmatics (pp. 549–565). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Vico, G. (SN). (1968) The new science of Giambattista Vico. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wharton, T. (2009). Pragmatics and non-verbal communication. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, M. L., Hauser, M. D., & Wrangham, R. W. (2001). Does participation in intergroup conflict depend on numerical assessment, range location, or rank for wild chimpanzees? Animal Behaviour, 61(6), 1203–1216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wittgenstein, L. (1963). Tractatus logico-philosophicus: Logisch-philosophische Abhandlung. Suhrkamp: Frankfurt am Main.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zahavi, A., & Zahavi, A. (1997). The handicap principle: A missing piece of Darwin’s puzzle. New York/Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zuberbühler, K. (2005). The phylogenetic roots of language. Evidence from primate. Communication and Cognition, 14(3), 126–130.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cognitive Science, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

    Antonino Pennisi & Alessandra Falzone

Authors
  1. Antonino Pennisi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alessandra Falzone
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cognitive Science, University of Messina, Barcellona, Italy

    Alessandro Capone

  2. Department SUM, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Marco Carapezza

  3. University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Franco Lo Piparo

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Pennisi, A., Falzone, A. (2019). Cognitive Pragmatics and Evolutionism. In: Capone, A., Carapezza, M., Lo Piparo, F. (eds) Further Advances in Pragmatics and Philosophy: Part 2 Theories and Applications. Perspectives in Pragmatics, Philosophy & Psychology, vol 20. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00973-1_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00973-1_4

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-00972-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-00973-1

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation