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9 - Teaching Stone-Tool Making

from Part III - Non-symbolic Behaviours

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2020

Rudolf Botha
Affiliation:
University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
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Summary

Chapter 9 focuses on an inference about Neanderthal language drawn from data about the experimental teaching of stone-tool making to modern humans. Comprising three inferential steps, the knapping-pedagogy inference looks as follows in outline: Experimentally gathered data about the transmission of Oldowan technology to modern humans → Verbal language enhances the transmission of Oldowan technology to modern humans → Verbal language originated hundreds of thousands years ago as a prerequisite for Acheulean technology → Some Neanderthals had verbal language. There are various reasons for doubting the soundness of this inference. First, its empirical grounding is contentious: some experimental studies have found verbal interaction to be unnecessary for teaching knapping skills, even causing underperformance by modern learners. Second, Chapter 9 finds the inferential steps to lack the required logical force. For instance, it cannot be inferred that verbal language was a prerequisite for teaching knapping technology to modern humans from data that it only enhances the teaching of such technology to modern humans. This logical flaw leaves the final inferential step ungrounded.

Type
Chapter
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Neanderthal Language
Demystifying the Linguistic Powers of our Extinct Cousins
, pp. 122 - 127
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Teaching Stone-Tool Making
  • Rudolf Botha, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
  • Book: Neanderthal Language
  • Online publication: 26 April 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108868167.012
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  • Teaching Stone-Tool Making
  • Rudolf Botha, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
  • Book: Neanderthal Language
  • Online publication: 26 April 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108868167.012
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Teaching Stone-Tool Making
  • Rudolf Botha, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
  • Book: Neanderthal Language
  • Online publication: 26 April 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108868167.012
Available formats
×