The Origins of Language: Hominization and Languaging

By laying the foundations of the conception of language in terms of languaging, the enactive and autopoietic approaches open a new framework to understand the emergence of the linguistic phenomenon in relation with hominization. However, this approach has not been sufficiently explored in the research field addressing the "origins of language", with a few exceptions (Andresen, 2014). The Theory of Natural Drift (Maturana & Varela, 1994; Varela et al., 199 ; Maturana & Mpdozis, 2000) and the Theory of Developmental Systems (Oyama et al., 2001) can provide the ideal background to rethink the ecological conditions of the phylogenetic trajectory, as well as the role of conduct in the conservation of coordination through languaging as the privileged domain of interactions. In order to show its innovative contributions, I will first address the most controversial aspects of current Neo-Darwinian models (genetic determinism and adaptationism) that feed many hypotheses within this field. I will then introduce some lines of thought about the phylogenetic process. In particular, I will address some aspects of the anatomical and neurobiological evolution (encephalization, speech and brachiomanual articulation) on one hand, and the relational and social factor of human living on the other hand.