Ananya+Subramaniam+RP+Post+2

1.

 * ====How did language evolve in different regions at the same time, and how did parallels in different languages evolve? ====
 * ====How can the evolution of language be traced through time? ====

3. Author: N/A
Organization: The Economist, magazine

6. Speaker: Author of the Economist article, researchers mentioned in the article
Occasion: To understand and express to readers the truth about the origin of languages Audience: Readers of the Economist, those interested in understanding the evolution of language Purpose: To explain and trace the origin and evolution of languages to readers, utilizing studies conducted by various researchers/scientists Subject: The origin of language, its evolution, and its movement/spread to different peoples as time progressed TONE: Informative, official, scholarly(at times) ====7. In this article, language is traced from its origins in Africa to its spread around the world, following specific elements of language. The article employs terminology specific to the subject and mentions studies conducted in order to explain how language has shifted outward from a central origin in Africa. Specific methods for understanding the analysis of language, including the Markov chain Monte Carlo method, used to reconstruct trees. ==== ====8. The author develops the point that language comes from two sources-one shaped through evolution and one developed by individual assimilation of speech and understanding skills. ==== ====9. I aam highly persuaded by the author's treatment of the topic. This is because they provide extensive research, mathematical models, and direct quotations from renowned scientists in order to support the points they make. The solid support provided, along with the highly informed tone of the article in general, caused me to further believe in the author's words. The general argument for the origination of language in Africa, and the transmission of different linguistic elements across regions are described convincingly, and when followed by solid research examples, make the article extremely convincing. ====

10. Key sentences or passages:
a. <span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">"The first is evolutionary: when and where human banter was first heard. The second is ontological: how an individual human acquires the power of speech and understanding."

<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">"To find out, he looked not at genes but at phonemes. These are the smallest sounds which differentiate meaning (like the “th” in thin; replace it with “f” or “s” and the result is a different word)."

<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">"To check whether this is the case, Dr Atkinson took 504 languages and plotted the number of phonemes in each (corrected for recent population growth, when significant) against the distance between the place where the language is spoken and 2,500 putative points of origin, scattered across the world." <span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> "Dr Chomsky argues that the human brain comes equipped with a hard-wired universal grammar—a language instinct, in the elegant phrase of his one-time colleague Steven Pinker."

<span style="color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">"To substitute for fossils, and thus reconstruct the ancient branches of the tree as well as the modern-day leaves, Dr Dunn used mathematically informed guesswork."