Uma Reflex o a Respeito da Evolu o Humana e a Natureza da Linguagem

In this paper I discuss scientific and philosophical issues related to the interdisciplinary area ofNeurolinguistics, focusing on the origin and nature of human language. What kind ofevolutionary process leads to the emergence of language? I propose that this process began withthe adoption of bipedalism, triggering the co-evolution of new brain structures and forms ofsocial organization. This process created a context that favoured the emergence of articulatedvocalization using a combinatorial linguistic system. The identification of sufficient conditionsfor the emergence of human language in this context depends on the paradigm adopted for theanalysis. I look for a synthesis of nativist and constructivist paradigms, showing that bothcontribute to an understanding of the origin and nature of human language.