Approaches to the Evolution of Language - Dessalles

1998

“If we fail to notice that information given in conversation is valuable, then the existence of the language faculty, with its complex structure, remains highly mysterious, as would the existence of a complex organ with no apparent function. The phenomenon of relevance makes us realise that utterances are profitable to the listener. Language thus seems to be an altruistic behaviour.” (P.145-6)

Jean-Louis Dessalles. Altruism, status, and the origin of relevance. Approaches to the evolution of language: Social and cognitive bases, Cambridge University Press, P.130-147, 1998. hal-00614801