TEDGlobal 2011
Mark Pagel: How language transformed humanity
Mark Pagel: hizkuntzak nola aldatu zuen gizadia
Filmed:
Readability: 4.2
1,708,914 views
Mark Pagel biologoak jakin-mina eragiten duen teoria bat azaltzen du, gizakiok gure hizkuntza-sistema konplexua zergatik garatu genuen gaitzat harturik. Iradokitzen du hizkuntza "teknologia sozialeko" zerbait dela, antzinako giza tribuei beste tresna ahaltsu bat eskuratzea ahalbidetu ziona: lankidetza
Mark Pagel - Evolutionary biologist
Using biological evolution as a template, Mark Pagel wonders how languages evolve. Full bio
Using biological evolution as a template, Mark Pagel wonders how languages evolve. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:15
Each of you possesses
0
0
2000
Zuetako bakoitzak badu
00:17
the most powerful, dangerous and subversive trait
1
2000
3000
hautapen naturalak inoiz asmatu duen
00:20
that natural selection has ever devised.
2
5000
3000
ezaugarri ahaltsuen, arriskutsuen eta subertsiboena.
00:23
It's a piece of neural audio technology
3
8000
3000
Audio teknologia neuronala den zerbait da,
00:26
for rewiring other people's minds.
4
11000
2000
beste pertsona batzuen gogamenak birprogramatzeko.
00:28
I'm talking about your language, of course,
5
13000
3000
Zuen mintzamenaz ari naiz, jakina,
00:31
because it allows you to implant a thought from your mind
6
16000
3000
horrek ahalbidetzen baitizue zuen gogameneko pentsamendu bat
00:34
directly into someone else's mind,
7
19000
3000
zuzenean beste norbaiten gogamenean landatzea,
00:37
and they can attempt to do the same to you,
8
22000
2000
eta haiek ere beste hainbeste saiatuko dira egiten zurekin,
00:39
without either of you having to perform surgery.
9
24000
3000
zuetako inork kirurgiaz baliatu beharrik gabe.
00:42
Instead, when you speak,
10
27000
2000
Ostera, hitz egiten duzuenean,
00:44
you're actually using a form of telemetry
11
29000
2000
telemetria moduko zerbait erabiltzen ari zarete
00:46
not so different
12
31000
2000
zuen telebistaren urrutiko agintearekiko
00:48
from the remote control device for your television.
13
33000
2000
oso diferentea ez dena.
00:50
It's just that, whereas that device
14
35000
2000
Gertatzen dena da,
00:52
relies on pulses of infrared light,
15
37000
2000
argi infragorrizko pultsuez baliatzen dela tresna,
00:54
your language relies on pulses,
16
39000
3000
eta zuen hizkuntza pultsuetan oinarritzen dela,
00:57
discrete pulses, of sound.
17
42000
2000
baina soinuzko pultsu diskretuetan.
00:59
And just as you use the remote control device
18
44000
3000
Eta zuen telebistaren barruko konfigurazioa aldatzeko
01:02
to alter the internal settings of your television
19
47000
2000
urrutiko agintea erabiltzen duzuen bezalaxe,
01:04
to suit your mood,
20
49000
2000
zuen gustura moldatzeko,
01:06
you use your language
21
51000
2000
beste norbaiten garunaren barruko
01:08
to alter the settings inside someone else's brain
22
53000
2000
konfigurazioa aldatzeko erabiltzen duzue zuen hizkuntza,
01:10
to suit your interests.
23
55000
2000
zuen interesetara egokitzeko.
01:12
Languages are genes talking,
24
57000
2000
Hizkuntzak geneak hizketan dira,
01:14
getting things that they want.
25
59000
2000
nahi dituzten gauzak lortzen.
01:16
And just imagine the sense of wonder in a baby
26
61000
3000
Eta imajina ezazue haurtxo baten harridura-sentimendua
01:19
when it first discovers that, merely by uttering a sound,
27
64000
3000
lehenbiziko aldiz ohartzen denean, soinu bat egite hutsaz,
01:22
it can get objects to move across a room
28
67000
2000
lor dezakeela gauzak gelan zehar mugitzea
01:24
as if by magic,
29
69000
2000
magiaz bezala,
01:26
and maybe even into its mouth.
30
71000
3000
eta agian baita bere ahoaren barruan ere.
01:29
Now language's subversive power
31
74000
2000
Hizkuntzaren ahalmen subertsiboa
01:31
has been recognized throughout the ages
32
76000
2000
antzeman izan da mendetan zehar
01:33
in censorship, in books you can't read,
33
78000
2000
zentsuran, irakur ez ditzakezuen liburuetan,
01:35
phrases you can't use
34
80000
2000
erabil ez ditzakezuen esaldietan
01:37
and words you can't say.
35
82000
2000
eta esan ez ditzakezuen hitzetan.
01:39
In fact, the Tower of Babel story in the Bible
36
84000
3000
Azken finean, Bibliako Babelgo Dorrearen istorioa
01:42
is a fable and warning
37
87000
2000
alegia bat da eta
01:44
about the power of language.
38
89000
2000
ohartarazpen bat hizkuntzaren ahalmenaz.
01:46
According to that story, early humans developed the conceit
39
91000
3000
Istorio horren arabera, antzinako gizakiak iritsi ziren pentsatzera,
01:49
that, by using their language to work together,
40
94000
2000
beren hizkuntza elkarlanean jarduteko erabiliz,
01:51
they could build a tower
41
96000
2000
zeruraino iristeko aukera emango
01:53
that would take them all the way to heaven.
42
98000
2000
zien dorre bat eraiki zezaketela.
01:55
Now God, angered at this attempt to usurp his power,
43
100000
3000
Orduan Jainkoak, berari boterea kentzeko saio horrek haserreturik,
01:58
destroyed the tower,
44
103000
3000
dorrea eraitsi egin zuen,
02:01
and then to ensure
45
106000
2000
eta, gero inoiz ez zela
02:03
that it would never be rebuilt,
46
108000
2000
berreraikiko bermatzeko,
02:05
he scattered the people by giving them different languages --
47
110000
3000
jendea sakabanatu egin zuen, hizkuntza diferenteak emanez --
02:08
confused them by giving them different languages.
48
113000
3000
nahastu egin zituen hizkuntza diferenteak emanez.
02:11
And this leads to the wonderful irony
49
116000
2000
Eta horrek ironia izugarri bat ekarri zuen:
02:13
that our languages exist to prevent us from communicating.
50
118000
3000
gure hizkuntzak elkarrekin komunikatzea eragozteko existitzen direla.
02:16
Even today,
51
121000
2000
Orain ere,
02:18
we know that there are words we cannot use,
52
123000
2000
badakigu badirela erabil ez ditzakegun hitzak,
02:20
phrases we cannot say,
53
125000
2000
esan ez ditzakegun esaldiak,
02:22
because if we do so,
54
127000
2000
zeren eta hori egiten badugu,
02:24
we might be accosted, jailed,
55
129000
3000
gogait eragin, kartzelatu eta
02:27
or even killed.
56
132000
2000
baita hil ere gaitzaketela.
02:29
And all of this from a puff of air
57
134000
2000
Eta hori guztia gure ahotetatik irtendako
02:31
emanating from our mouths.
58
136000
2000
aire-bafada bategatik.
02:33
Now all this fuss about a single one of our traits
59
138000
3000
Gure ezaugarri bakar bati buruzko istilu horrek guztiak
02:36
tells us there's something worth explaining.
60
141000
2000
adierazten digu badela hor azalpen bat merezi duen zerbait.
02:38
And that is how and why
61
143000
2000
Kontua hauxe da: nola eta zergatik
02:40
did this remarkable trait evolve,
62
145000
2000
garatu zen ezaugarri garrantzitsu hori,
02:42
and why did it evolve
63
147000
2000
eta zergatik garatu zen
02:44
only in our species?
64
149000
2000
gure espeziean soilik?
02:46
Now it's a little bit of a surprise
65
151000
2000
Ezusteko txiki bat dator orain.
02:48
that to get an answer to that question,
66
153000
2000
Izan ere, galdera horri erantzuteko,
02:50
we have to go to tool use
67
155000
2000
txinpantzeek tresnak nola
02:52
in the chimpanzees.
68
157000
2000
erabiltzen dituzten aztertzera jo behar dugu.
02:54
Now these chimpanzees are using tools,
69
159000
2000
Txinpantze horiek orain tresnak erabiltzen ari dira
02:56
and we take that as a sign of their intelligence.
70
161000
3000
eta haiek adimena duten seinaletzat hartzen dugu hori.
02:59
But if they really were intelligent,
71
164000
2000
Baina haiek benetan adimena balute,
03:01
why would they use a stick to extract termites from the ground
72
166000
3000
zergatik erabiltzen dute makila bat, lurretik termitak ateratzeko,
03:04
rather than a shovel?
73
169000
2000
pala bat erabili ordez?
03:06
And if they really were intelligent,
74
171000
3000
Eta benetan adimenik badute
03:09
why would they crack open nuts with a rock?
75
174000
2000
zergatik hausten dituzte intxaurrak harri batez?
03:11
Why wouldn't they just go to a shop and buy a bag of nuts
76
176000
3000
Zergatik ez dira denda batera joaten eta
03:14
that somebody else had already cracked open for them?
77
179000
3000
beste norbaitek hautsi dituen intxaurren poltsakada bat erosten?
03:17
Why not? I mean, that's what we do.
78
182000
2000
Zergatik ez? Esan nahi dut, hori guk egiten dugula.
03:19
Now the reason the chimpanzees don't do that
79
184000
2000
Txinpantzeek hori ez egiteko arrazoia da,
03:21
is that they lack what psychologists and anthropologists call
80
186000
3000
psikologoek eta antropologoek
03:24
social learning.
81
189000
2000
ikaskuntza soziala deitzen dutena falta zaiela.
03:26
They seem to lack the ability
82
191000
2000
Badirudi kopiatuz edo imitatuz edo
03:28
to learn from others
83
193000
2000
besterik gabe begiratuz
03:30
by copying or imitating
84
195000
2000
besteengandik ikasteko
03:32
or simply watching.
85
197000
2000
gaitasuna falta zaiela.
03:34
As a result,
86
199000
2000
Horren ondorioz,
03:36
they can't improve on others' ideas
87
201000
2000
ezin dituzte hobetu besteen ideiak
03:38
or learn from others' mistakes --
88
203000
2000
edo ikasi besteen hutsegiteetatik --
03:40
benefit from others' wisdom.
89
205000
2000
besteen jakinduriaz baliatu.
03:42
And so they just do the same thing
90
207000
2000
Eta horrela beti gauza berbera egiten dute
03:44
over and over and over again.
91
209000
2000
behin eta berriz.
03:46
In fact, we could go away for a million years and come back
92
211000
4000
Joan gintezke milioi bat urte atzera eta itzuli
03:50
and these chimpanzees would be doing the same thing
93
215000
3000
eta txinpantze horiek gauza bera
03:53
with the same sticks for the termites
94
218000
2000
egiten ariko lirateke termitak ateratzeko makilaz
03:55
and the same rocks to crack open the nuts.
95
220000
3000
eta harri berberekin intxaurrak hausten.
03:58
Now this may sound arrogant, or even full of hubris.
96
223000
3000
Baliteke horrek harropuzkeria hutsaren itxura izatea.
04:01
How do we know this?
97
226000
2000
Nola dakigu hori?
04:03
Because this is exactly what our ancestors, the Homo erectus, did.
98
228000
3000
Gure arbasoak, Homo erectusak, egin zuen gauza berbera delako.
04:06
These upright apes
99
231000
2000
Zutik ibiltzen ziren tximino haiek
04:08
evolved on the African savanna
100
233000
2000
Afrikako sabanan eboluzionatu zuten
04:10
about two million years ago,
101
235000
2000
duela bi milioi urte inguru,
04:12
and they made these splendid hand axes
102
237000
2000
eta zuen eskuetara ederki egokitzen diren
04:14
that fit wonderfully into your hands.
103
239000
2000
aizkora bikain horiek egin zituzten.
04:16
But if we look at the fossil record,
104
241000
2000
Baina fosilak behatzen baditugu,
04:18
we see that they made the same hand axe
105
243000
3000
ikusten dugu aizkora berbera
04:21
over and over and over again
106
246000
2000
egin zutela behin eta berriz.
04:23
for one million years.
107
248000
2000
milioi bat urtean.
04:25
You can follow it through the fossil record.
108
250000
2000
Fosilen segida jarrituz ikus dezakegu hori.
04:27
Now if we make some guesses about how long Homo erectus lived,
109
252000
2000
Homo erectusa zenbat denbora bizi izan zen igartzen saiatzen bagara,
04:29
what their generation time was,
110
254000
2000
zenbat belaunaldi iraun zuen,
04:31
that's about 40,000 generations
111
256000
3000
ikusiko dugu gurasoengandik umeetarako 40.000
04:34
of parents to offspring, and other individuals watching,
112
259000
3000
belaunaldi inguru izan zirela, eta beste indibiduo batzuk begira egon zirenak,
04:37
in which that hand axe didn't change.
113
262000
2000
eta horietan guztietan aizkora ez zen aldatu.
04:39
It's not even clear
114
264000
2000
Eta ez dago argi
04:41
that our very close genetic relatives, the Neanderthals,
115
266000
2000
gure ahaide genetiko oso hurbilekoak ziren Neanderthalek
04:43
had social learning.
116
268000
2000
ikaskuntza sozialik bazuten ere.
04:45
Sure enough, their tools were more complicated
117
270000
3000
Aski segurua da haien tresnak konplikatuagoak zirela
04:48
than those of Homo erectus,
118
273000
2000
Homo erectusarenak baino,
04:50
but they too showed very little change
119
275000
2000
baina haiek ere, Neanderthalak Eurasian bizi izan ziren
04:52
over the 300,000 years or so
120
277000
3000
300.000 urte inguruan,
04:55
that those species, the Neanderthals,
121
280000
2000
aldaketa txikia izan zutela
04:57
lived in Eurasia.
122
282000
2000
ikusten da.
04:59
Okay, so what this tells us
123
284000
2000
Ondo da, beraz horrek adierazten diguna
05:01
is that, contrary to the old adage,
124
286000
3000
da, esaera zaharrak dioenaren kontra,
05:04
"monkey see, monkey do,"
125
289000
3000
"tximinoak ikusi, tximinoak egin, "
05:07
the surprise really is
126
292000
2000
benetako ezustekoa da
05:09
that all of the other animals
127
294000
2000
beste animalia guztiek
05:11
really cannot do that -- at least not very much.
128
296000
3000
ezin dutela hori egin -- askorik ez behintzat.
05:14
And even this picture
129
299000
2000
Eta irudi honek ere
05:16
has the suspicious taint of being rigged about it --
130
301000
3000
iruzur itxura susmagarria du --
05:19
something from a Barnum & Bailey circus.
131
304000
2000
Barnum & Bailey zirkuko zerbaitena.
05:21
But by comparison,
132
306000
2000
Baina, konparazio baterako,
05:23
we can learn.
133
308000
2000
guk ikas dezakegu.
05:25
We can learn by watching other people
134
310000
3000
Guk ikas dezakegu beste batzuei begiratuz
05:28
and copying or imitating
135
313000
2000
eta haiek egiten dutena
05:30
what they can do.
136
315000
2000
kopiatuz edo imitatuz.
05:32
We can then choose, from among a range of options,
137
317000
3000
Eta gero hauta dezakegu, hainbat aukeraren artetik,
05:35
the best one.
138
320000
2000
onena.
05:37
We can benefit from others' ideas.
139
322000
2000
Balia gaitezke besteen ideiez.
05:39
We can build on their wisdom.
140
324000
2000
Eraiki dezakegu haien jakinduriaren gainean.
05:41
And as a result, our ideas do accumulate,
141
326000
3000
Eta horren ondorioz gure ideiak metatu egiten dira
05:44
and our technology progresses.
142
329000
4000
eta gure teknologia aitzinatu egiten da.
05:48
And this cumulative cultural adaptation,
143
333000
5000
Eta egokitzapen kultural metakor horri,
05:53
as anthropologists call
144
338000
2000
antropologoek esaten dioten bezala,
05:55
this accumulation of ideas,
145
340000
2000
ideien metaketa horri,
05:57
is responsible for everything around you
146
342000
2000
zor zaio zuen eguneroko jardunean eta
05:59
in your bustling and teeming everyday lives.
147
344000
2000
elkarlanean inguruan duzuen guztia.
06:01
I mean the world has changed out of all proportion
148
346000
2000
Esan nahi dut mundua proportzio guztiez haratago
06:03
to what we would recognize
149
348000
2000
aldatu zela
06:05
even 1,000 or 2,000 years ago.
150
350000
3000
duela 1.000 edo 2.000 urte ere.
06:08
And all of this because of cumulative cultural adaptation.
151
353000
3000
Eta hori guztia gertatu da egokitzapen kultural metakorrari esker.
06:11
The chairs you're sitting in, the lights in this auditorium,
152
356000
2000
Esertzeko erabiltzen dituzuen aulkiak, areto honetako argiak,
06:13
my microphone, the iPads and iPods that you carry around with you --
153
358000
3000
nire mikrofonoa, aldean daramatzazuen iPadak eta iPodak,
06:16
all are a result
154
361000
2000
horiek guztiak
06:18
of cumulative cultural adaptation.
155
363000
2000
egokitzapen kultural metakorraren ondorio dira.
06:20
Now to many commentators,
156
365000
4000
Orain iruzkingile askorentzat,
06:24
cumulative cultural adaptation, or social learning,
157
369000
3000
egokitzapen kultural metakorra, edo ikaskuntza soziala,
06:27
is job done, end of story.
158
372000
3000
egina da; akabo.
06:30
Our species can make stuff,
159
375000
3000
Gure espezieak gauzak egin ditzake,
06:33
therefore we prospered in a way that no other species has.
160
378000
3000
beraz, beste inolako espeziek ez bezalako aitzinapena izan dugu.
06:36
In fact, we can even make the "stuff of life" --
161
381000
3000
"Bizitzako gauzak" ere egin ditzakegu --
06:39
as I just said, all the stuff around us.
162
384000
2000
esan dudan bezala, inguruan ditugun gauza guztiak.
06:41
But in fact, it turns out
163
386000
2000
Baina gertatzen da
06:43
that some time around 200,000 years ago,
164
388000
3000
duela 200.000 urte inguruko uneren batean
06:46
when our species first arose
165
391000
2000
gure espeziea sortu zenean
06:48
and acquired social learning,
166
393000
2000
eta ikaskuntza soziala bereganatu zuenean,
06:50
that this was really the beginning of our story,
167
395000
2000
hasi zela benetan gure istorioa
06:52
not the end of our story.
168
397000
2000
eta ez gure istorioaren amaiera
06:54
Because our acquisition of social learning
169
399000
3000
Zeren eta guk ikaskuntza soziala geureganatu izanak
06:57
would create a social and evolutionary dilemma,
170
402000
3000
dilema sozial eta ebolutibo bat sortuko zuen,
07:00
the resolution of which, it's fair to say,
171
405000
3000
eta hura soluzionatzeak, bidezkoa da esatea,
07:03
would determine not only the future course of our psychology,
172
408000
4000
zertuko zuen, gure psikologiaren etorkizuneko bilakaera ez ezik,
07:07
but the future course of the entire world.
173
412000
2000
baita mundu osoaren etorkizuneko bilakaera ere.
07:09
And most importantly for this,
174
414000
3000
Eta horretarako garrantzitsuagoa dena,
07:12
it'll tell us why we have language.
175
417000
3000
horrek esaten digu zergatik dugun hizkuntza.
07:15
And the reason that dilemma arose
176
420000
2000
Eta dilema agertzeko arrazoia
07:17
is, it turns out, that social learning is visual theft.
177
422000
3000
ikaskuntza soziala ikusizko lapurreta izatea da.
07:20
If I can learn by watching you,
178
425000
3000
Nik ikas badezaket zuri begira,
07:23
I can steal your best ideas,
179
428000
2000
ostu ditzaket zure ideiarik onenak,
07:25
and I can benefit from your efforts,
180
430000
3000
eta balia naiteke zure ahaleginez,
07:28
without having to put in the time and energy that you did
181
433000
2000
zuk haiek garatzeko jarri zenituen denbora eta energia
07:30
into developing them.
182
435000
2000
jarri beharrik gabe.
07:32
If I can watch which lure you use to catch a fish,
183
437000
3000
Nik ikus badezaket zer beita erabiltzen duzun arrainak harrapatzeko,
07:35
or I can watch how you flake your hand axe
184
440000
2000
edo ikus badezaket nola lantzen duzun zure aizkora
07:37
to make it better,
185
442000
2000
hobetzeko,
07:39
or if I follow you secretly to your mushroom patch,
186
444000
3000
edota jarraitzen badizut ezkutuan zure perretxiko-lekura,
07:42
I can benefit from your knowledge and wisdom and skills,
187
447000
3000
ni balia naiteke zure ezagutzaz eta jakinduriaz eta trebetasunez,
07:45
and maybe even catch that fish
188
450000
2000
eta agian zuk baino lehen
07:47
before you do.
189
452000
2000
harrapa dezaket arrain hura.
07:49
Social learning really is visual theft.
190
454000
3000
Ikaskuntza soziala benetan ikusizko lapurreta da.
07:52
And in any species that acquired it,
191
457000
2000
Eta bereganatu duen edozein espezietan,
07:54
it would behoove you
192
459000
2000
hobe duzu
07:56
to hide your best ideas,
193
461000
2000
zure ideia hoberenak ezkutatzea,
07:58
lest somebody steal them from you.
194
463000
3000
inork ez diezazun ostu.
08:02
And so some time around 200,000 years ago,
195
467000
3000
Eta horrela duela 200.000 urte inguruko uneren batean,
08:05
our species confronted this crisis.
196
470000
3000
gure espezieak krisi horri aurre egin behar izan zion.
08:08
And we really had only two options
197
473000
3000
Eta benetan bi aukera baizik ez ditugu
08:11
for dealing with the conflicts
198
476000
2000
ikusizko lapurretak ekar ditzakeen
08:13
that visual theft would bring.
199
478000
2000
gatazkei aurre egiteko.
08:15
One of those options
200
480000
2000
Aukera horietako bat
08:17
was that we could have retreated
201
482000
3000
famili talde txikitan
08:20
into small family groups.
202
485000
2000
banantzea izan zitekeen.
08:22
Because then the benefits of our ideas and knowledge
203
487000
3000
Zeren eta orduan gure ideien eta ezagutzen onurak
08:25
would flow just to our relatives.
204
490000
2000
gure ahaideengana soilik joango lirateke.
08:27
Had we chosen this option,
205
492000
2000
Aukera hori hautatu izan bagenu,
08:29
sometime around 200,000 years ago,
206
494000
3000
duela 200.000 urte inguru uneren batean,
08:32
we would probably still be living like the Neanderthals were
207
497000
3000
seguru asko lehenbiziko Neanderthala Europan
08:35
when we first entered Europe 40,000 years ago.
208
500000
3000
duela 40.000 urte sartu zenean bezala biziko ginateke.
08:38
And this is because in small groups
209
503000
2000
Eta hori gertatuko zen talde txikietan
08:40
there are fewer ideas, there are fewer innovations.
210
505000
3000
ideia gutxiago daudelako, berrikuntza gutxiago daudelako.
08:43
And small groups are more prone to accidents and bad luck.
211
508000
3000
Eta talde txikietan ohikoagoak dira istripuak eta zorigaiztoa,
08:46
So if we'd chosen that path,
212
511000
2000
Beraz, bide hori jarraitu izan bagenu,
08:48
our evolutionary path would have led into the forest --
213
513000
3000
gure bilakabideak oihanera eramango gintuen --
08:51
and been a short one indeed.
214
516000
2000
eta ondo laburra izango zen.
08:53
The other option we could choose
215
518000
2000
Hauta genezakeen beste aukera
08:55
was to develop the systems of communication
216
520000
3000
ideiak partekatzea eta beste batzuekin lankidetzan jardutea
08:58
that would allow us to share ideas
217
523000
2000
ahalbidetuko zigun komunikazio-sistema
09:00
and to cooperate amongst others.
218
525000
3000
garatzea zen.
09:03
Choosing this option would mean
219
528000
2000
Aukera hori hautatzeak esan nahiko zuen
09:05
that a vastly greater fund of accumulated knowledge and wisdom
220
530000
3000
edozein gizabanakok irispidean izango zuela
09:08
would become available to any one individual
221
533000
3000
ezagutza eta jakinduria metatuzko funts askoz handiago hori,
09:11
than would ever arise from within an individual family
222
536000
3000
inoiz familia bakartu baten barruan
09:14
or an individual person on their own.
223
539000
3000
edo pertsona bakar batengan sortuko zena baino.
09:18
Well, we chose the second option,
224
543000
3000
Ondo, bigarren aukera hautatu genuen,
09:21
and language is the result.
225
546000
3000
eta hizkuntza da emaitza.
09:24
Language evolved to solve the crisis
226
549000
2000
Hizkuntza ikusizko lapurretaren krisia
09:26
of visual theft.
227
551000
2000
konpontzeko garatu zen.
09:28
Language is a piece of social technology
228
553000
3000
Hizkuntza teknologia sozialeko zerbait da,
09:31
for enhancing the benefits of cooperation --
229
556000
3000
lankidetzaren onurak hobetzeko --
09:34
for reaching agreements, for striking deals
230
559000
3000
hitzarmenetara iristeko, kontratuak egiteko
09:37
and for coordinating our activities.
231
562000
4000
eta gure jarduerak koordinatzeko.
09:41
And you can see that, in a developing society
232
566000
2000
Eta ikus dezakezue garatze-bidean zihoan gizarte bat
09:43
that was beginning to acquire language,
233
568000
2000
hizkuntza bereganatzen hasten zena,
09:45
not having language
234
570000
2000
hizkuntzarik izan gabe,
09:47
would be a like a bird without wings.
235
572000
2000
hegorik gabeko txori baten antzekoa izango zela.
09:49
Just as wings open up this sphere of air
236
574000
3000
Hegoek txoriei aire-esfera bat ustiatzeko
09:52
for birds to exploit,
237
577000
2000
aukera ematen dieten bezala,
09:54
language opened up the sphere of cooperation
238
579000
2000
hizkuntzak lankidetzaren esfera ustiatzeko
09:56
for humans to exploit.
239
581000
2000
aukera ireki zien gizakiei.
09:58
And we take this utterly for granted,
240
583000
2000
Eta baieztapen hori segurutzat hartzen dugu,
10:00
because we're a species that is so at home with language,
241
585000
3000
gu hizkuntzarekin hain gustura aurkitzen den espezie bat garelako.
10:03
but you have to realize
242
588000
2000
Baina ohartu behar duzue
10:05
that even the simplest acts of exchange that we engage in
243
590000
3000
truke-ekintzarik sinpleenari ekiteak ere
10:08
are utterly dependent upon language.
244
593000
3000
hizkuntzaren premia duela.
10:11
And to see why, consider two scenarios
245
596000
2000
Eta zergatik den hori ikusteko, azter ditzagun bi agertoki
10:13
from early in our evolution.
246
598000
2000
gure eboluzioaren hasierakoak.
10:15
Let's imagine that you are really good
247
600000
2000
Demagun benetan onak zaretela
10:17
at making arrowheads,
248
602000
2000
gezi-muturrak egiten,
10:19
but you're hopeless at making the wooden shafts
249
604000
3000
baina baldarrak zaretela hegan joanarazteko zurezko makila
10:22
with the flight feathers attached.
250
607000
3000
lumadunak egiten.
10:25
Two other people you know are very good at making the wooden shafts,
251
610000
3000
Beste bi pertsona ezagun oso onak dira zurezko makilak egiten,
10:28
but they're hopeless at making the arrowheads.
252
613000
3000
baina traketsak gezi-muturrak egiten.
10:31
So what you do is --
253
616000
2000
Egingo duzuena da -- pentsa pertsona horietako batek ez
10:33
one of those people has not really acquired language yet.
254
618000
3000
duela oraindik hizkuntza bereganatu.
10:36
And let's pretend the other one is good at language skills.
255
621000
2000
Eta demagun bestea ona dela hizkutza-trebetasunetan.
10:38
So what you do one day is you take a pile of arrowheads,
256
623000
3000
Egun batean egingo duzuena izango da, hartuko duzuela gezi-mutur
10:41
and you walk up to the one that can't speak very well,
257
626000
2000
mordo bat eta joango zaretela ondo hitz egin ez dezakeenarengana,
10:43
and you put the arrowheads down in front of him,
258
628000
2000
eta gezi-muturrak haren aurrean jarriko dituzuela,
10:45
hoping that he'll get the idea that you want to trade your arrowheads
259
630000
3000
gezi bukatuekin trukatu nahi dituzuela zuen gezi-muturrak
10:48
for finished arrows.
260
633000
2000
hari adierazteko asmoz.
10:50
But he looks at the pile of arrowheads, thinks they're a gift,
261
635000
2000
Baina hark begiratzen dio gezi-muturren pilari eta uste du opari bat direla,
10:52
picks them up, smiles and walks off.
262
637000
3000
hartzen ditu, irribarre egiten du eta badoa.
10:55
Now you pursue this guy, gesticulating.
263
640000
2000
Orduan zuek haren atzetik joaten zarete imintzioka.
10:57
A scuffle ensues and you get stabbed
264
642000
2000
Istilua sortzen da eta
10:59
with one of your own arrowheads.
265
644000
3000
zeuon gezi-muturretako batez zauritzen zaituzte.
11:02
Okay, now replay this scene now, and you're approaching the one who has language.
266
647000
3000
Ondo da, orain joka dezagun berriro antzespena, eta zuek hiztunarengana hurbilduko zarete.
11:05
You put down your arrowheads and say,
267
650000
2000
Jartzen dizkiozue gezi-muturrak aurrean eta esaten diozue:
11:07
"I'd like to trade these arrowheads for finished arrows. I'll split you 50/50."
268
652000
3000
"Gezi-mutur hauek trukatu nahi ditugu bukaturiko geziekin. Erdibana egingo dugu"
11:10
The other one says, "Fine. Looks good to me.
269
655000
2000
Besteak dio, "Ados. Ondo iruditzen zait.
11:12
We'll do that."
270
657000
3000
Horixe egingo dugu."
11:15
Now the job is done.
271
660000
3000
Listo.
11:18
Once we have language,
272
663000
2000
Behin hizkuntza izanez gero,
11:20
we can put our ideas together and cooperate
273
665000
2000
junta ditzakegu gure ideiak eta lankidetzan jardun
11:22
to have a prosperity
274
667000
2000
hura izan aurretik lor ez genezakeen
11:24
that we couldn't have before we acquired it.
275
669000
3000
oparotasuna lortzeko.
11:27
And this is why our species
276
672000
2000
Eta horregatik aitzinatu da
11:29
has prospered around the world
277
674000
2000
gure espeziea mundu osoan
11:31
while the rest of the animals
278
676000
2000
gainerako animaliak
11:33
sit behind bars in zoos, languishing.
279
678000
3000
zoologikoetan erreja tartean, makalduta dauden bitartean.
11:36
That's why we build space shuttles and cathedrals
280
681000
3000
Horregatik eraikitzen ditugu espazio-ontziak eta katedralak,
11:39
while the rest of the world sticks sticks into the ground
281
684000
2000
eta gainerakoak, aldiz, ari dira makilez jo eta jo egurra,
11:41
to extract termites.
282
686000
2000
termitak ateratzeko.
11:43
All right, if this view of language
283
688000
3000
Ederki, hizkuntzaren eta hark
11:46
and its value
284
691000
2000
ikusizko lapurretaren krisia konpontzeko
11:48
in solving the crisis of visual theft is true,
285
693000
3000
duen balioaren ikuspegi hori zuzena baldin bada,
11:51
any species that acquires it
286
696000
2000
hura bereganatzen duen espezie orok
11:53
should show an explosion of creativity and prosperity.
287
698000
3000
sormen- eta oparotasun-eztanda bat izango du.
11:56
And this is exactly what the archeological record shows.
288
701000
3000
Eta horixe da erregistro arkeologikoek erakusten dutena.
11:59
If you look at our ancestors,
289
704000
2000
Gure arbasoei begiratzen badiezue,
12:01
the Neanderthals and the Homo erectus, our immediate ancestors,
290
706000
3000
Nenderthalei eta Homo erectusei, gure hurbileneko arbasoei,
12:04
they're confined to small regions of the world.
291
709000
3000
ikusiko duzue haiek munduko eskualde txiki mugatuetan bizi zirela.
12:07
But when our species arose
292
712000
2000
Baina gure espeziea sortu zenean
12:09
about 200,000 years ago,
293
714000
2000
duela 200.000 urte inguru,
12:11
sometime after that we quickly walked out of Africa
294
716000
3000
handik pixka batera agudo irten ginen Afrikatik
12:14
and spread around the entire world,
295
719000
3000
eta zabaldu ginen mundu osoan,
12:17
occupying nearly every habitat on Earth.
296
722000
3000
ia Lurreko habitat guztiak okupatuz.
12:20
Now whereas other species are confined
297
725000
3000
Orain beste espezie batzuk beren geneek
12:23
to places that their genes adapt them to,
298
728000
3000
egokitzen diren leku mugatuetan bizi diren bezala,
12:26
with social learning and language,
299
731000
2000
ikaskuntza soziala eta hizkuntza baliatuz,
12:28
we could transform the environment
300
733000
2000
guk eralda dezakegu ingurumena
12:30
to suit our needs.
301
735000
2000
gure beharretara egokitzeko.
12:32
And so we prospered in a way
302
737000
2000
Eta horrela beste animaliek ez bezalako
12:34
that no other animal has.
303
739000
2000
oparotasuna lortu dugu.
12:36
Language really is
304
741000
3000
Hizkuntza benetan
12:39
the most potent trait that has ever evolved.
305
744000
3000
inoiz eboluzionatu duen ezaugarririk ahaltsuena da.
12:42
It is the most valuable trait we have
306
747000
3000
Hura da dugun ezaugarririk baliagarriena
12:45
for converting new lands and resources
307
750000
3000
lur berriak eta baliabideak
12:48
into more people and their genes
308
753000
3000
pertsona gehiago eta inoiz hautespen naturalak
12:51
that natural selection has ever devised.
309
756000
2000
asmatu ez dituen haien geneak bihurtzeko.
12:53
Language really is
310
758000
2000
Hizkuntza benetan
12:55
the voice of our genes.
311
760000
2000
gure geneen ahotsa da.
12:57
Now having evolved language, though,
312
762000
2000
Hizkuntza garatuz, ordea,
12:59
we did something peculiar,
313
764000
2000
zerbait berezia
13:01
even bizarre.
314
766000
2000
eta are bitxia egin genuen.
13:03
As we spread out around the world,
315
768000
2000
Munduan zehar barreiatu ahala,
13:05
we developed thousands of different languages.
316
770000
3000
milaka hizkuntza diferente garatu genituen.
13:08
Currently, there are about seven or 8,000
317
773000
2000
gaur egun, zazpi edo zortzi mila
13:10
different languages spoken on Earth.
318
775000
3000
hizkuntza diferente inguru hitz egiten dira munduan.
13:13
Now you might say, well, this is just natural.
319
778000
2000
Orain esan dezakezue, ondo da, hori naturala da.
13:15
As we diverge, our languages are naturally going to diverge.
320
780000
3000
Urrundu ahala, gure hizkuntzek ere urruntzera joko dute.
13:18
But the real puzzle and irony
321
783000
2000
Baina benetako puzzlea eta ironia da
13:20
is that the greatest density of different languages on Earth
322
785000
3000
munduko hizkuntza diferenteen dentsitaterik handiena
13:23
is found where people are most tightly packed together.
323
788000
4000
jendea trinkoen bilduta dagoen lekuetakoa dela.
13:27
If we go to the island of Papua New Guinea,
324
792000
2000
Papua Ginea Berriko uhartera joaten bagara,
13:29
we can find about 800 to 1,000
325
794000
3000
800 edo 1000 hizkuntza
13:32
distinct human languages,
326
797000
2000
diferente
13:34
different human languages,
327
799000
2000
aurkituko ditugu,
13:36
spoken on that island alone.
328
801000
2000
uharte horretan soilik hitz egiten dituztenak.
13:38
There are places on that island
329
803000
2000
Uharte horretako zenbait lekutan
13:40
where you can encounter a new language
330
805000
2000
bizpahiru miliatik behin
13:42
every two or three miles.
331
807000
2000
beste hizkuntza bat aurkituko duzu.
13:44
Now, incredible as this sounds,
332
809000
2000
Harrigarria badirudi ere,
13:46
I once met a Papuan man, and I asked him if this could possibly be true.
333
811000
3000
behin topo egin nuen Papuako gizon batekin eta galdetu nion hori egia ote zen.
13:49
And he said to me, "Oh no.
334
814000
2000
Eta erantzun zidan, "O ez.
13:51
They're far closer together than that."
335
816000
3000
Hori baino hurbilago daude oraindik elkarrengandik."
13:54
And it's true; there are places on that island
336
819000
2000
Eta egia da; uharte horretako zenbait lekutan
13:56
where you can encounter a new language in under a mile.
337
821000
3000
beste hizkuntza bat aurkituko duzu mila baten barruan.
13:59
And this is also true of some remote oceanic islands.
338
824000
3000
Eta hori egia da halaber ozeanoko zenbait uharte galdutan ere.
14:03
And so it seems that we use our language,
339
828000
2000
Eta, beraz, badirudi gure hizkuntza erabiltzen dugula
14:05
not just to cooperate,
340
830000
2000
ez lankidetzan jarduteko, hain zuzen,
14:07
but to draw rings around our cooperative groups
341
832000
3000
baizik eta eraztunak marrazteko gure lankidetza-taldeen inguruan
14:10
and to establish identities,
342
835000
2000
eta identitateak ezartzeko,
14:12
and perhaps to protect our knowledge and wisdom and skills
343
837000
3000
eta agian gure ezagutza eta jakinduria eta trebetasunak babesteko
14:15
from eavesdropping from outside.
344
840000
3000
kanpokoen espioitzaren kontra.
14:18
And we know this
345
843000
2000
Eta hori badakigu honako arrazoi honengatik:
14:20
because when we study different language groups
346
845000
2000
hizkuntza-talde diferenteak aztertzen ditugunean
14:22
and associate them with their cultures,
347
847000
2000
eta haien kulturekin batera hartzen ditugunean,
14:24
we see that different languages
348
849000
2000
ikusten dugulako hizkuntza diferenteak izateak
14:26
slow the flow of ideas between groups.
349
851000
3000
taldeen arteko ideia-trukeak moteldu egiten dituela.
14:29
They slow the flow of technologies.
350
854000
3000
Teknologien trukeak moteltzen dituzte.
14:32
And they even slow the flow of genes.
351
857000
3000
Eta geneen trukeak ere moteltzen dituzte.
14:35
Now I can't speak for you,
352
860000
2000
Orain ezin dut zuengatik hitz egin
14:37
but it seems to be the case
353
862000
2000
baina badirudi ez dugula sexu-harremanik izaten
14:39
that we don't have sex with people we can't talk to.
354
864000
3000
gurekin hitz egin ezin dutenekin.
14:43
(Laughter)
355
868000
2000
(Barreak)
14:45
Now we have to counter that, though,
356
870000
2000
Orain, gezurtatu egin behar dugu, halere,
14:47
against the evidence we've heard
357
872000
2000
entzuna dugun baieztapen bat:
14:49
that we might have had some rather distasteful genetic dalliances
358
874000
3000
guk agian izango genituela Neanderthalekin eta Denisovatarrekin
14:52
with the Neanderthals and the Denisovans.
359
877000
2000
nahaste genetiko nardagarri samarrak.
14:54
(Laughter)
360
879000
2000
(Barreak)
14:56
Okay, this tendency we have,
361
881000
2000
Ondo da, guk dugun bakartzeko, geure baitan biltzeko,
14:58
this seemingly natural tendency we have,
362
883000
2000
joera horrek, itxuraz naturala den joera horrek,
15:00
towards isolation, towards keeping to ourselves,
363
885000
3000
aurrez aurre egiten du talka
15:03
crashes head first into our modern world.
364
888000
3000
gure mundu modernoarekin.
15:06
This remarkable image
365
891000
2000
Irudi berezi hori
15:08
is not a map of the world.
366
893000
2000
ez da munduaren mapa bat.
15:10
In fact, it's a map of Facebook friendship links.
367
895000
4000
Facebookeko adiskide-esteken mapa bat da.
15:14
And when you plot those friendship links
368
899000
2000
Eta adiskide-esteka horiek latitudearen eta
15:16
by their latitude and longitude,
369
901000
2000
longitudearen arabera kokatzen dituzunean,
15:18
it literally draws a map of the world.
370
903000
3000
munduaren mapa marrazten duzu literalki.
15:21
Our modern world is communicating
371
906000
2000
Gure mundu modernoa bere buruarekin
15:23
with itself and with each other
372
908000
2000
eta gainerakoekin komunikatzen ari da,
15:25
more than it has
373
910000
2000
inoiz iraganean
15:27
at any time in its past.
374
912000
2000
egin duen baino gehiago.
15:29
And that communication, that connectivity around the world,
375
914000
3000
Eta komunikazio horrek, munduan zeharreko konektibitate horrek,
15:32
that globalization
376
917000
2000
globalizazio horrek
15:34
now raises a burden.
377
919000
3000
orain zama bat sorrarazten du.
15:37
Because these different languages
378
922000
2000
Hizkuntza diferente horiek hesi bat
15:39
impose a barrier, as we've just seen,
379
924000
2000
ezartzen baitute, arestian ikusi dugun bezala,
15:41
to the transfer of goods and ideas
380
926000
2000
ondasunak eta ideiak
15:43
and technologies and wisdom.
381
928000
2000
eta teknologiak eta jakinduria trukatzeko.
15:45
And they impose a barrier to cooperation.
382
930000
3000
Eta hesi bat ezartzen diote lankidetzari.
15:48
And nowhere do we see that more clearly
383
933000
3000
Eta hori ez dugu inon ikusten argiago
15:51
than in the European Union,
384
936000
2000
Europar Batasunean baino,
15:53
whose 27 member countries
385
938000
3000
non 27 estatu kideetan
15:56
speak 23 official languages.
386
941000
3000
23 hizkuntza ofizial hitz egiten baitira.
15:59
The European Union
387
944000
2000
Europar Batasuna
16:01
is now spending over one billion euros annually
388
946000
4000
orain mila milioi euro gastatzen ari da urtero
16:05
translating among their 23 official languages.
389
950000
3000
23 hizkuntza horien artean itzulpenak egiten.
16:08
That's something on the order
390
953000
2000
Hori gutxi gorabehera
16:10
of 1.45 billion U.S. dollars
391
955000
2000
1.450 milioi dolar estatubatuar da,
16:12
on translation costs alone.
392
957000
3000
itzulpen-kostuetan bakarrik.
16:15
Now think of the absurdity of this situation.
393
960000
2000
Pentsa ezazue zeinen zentzugabea den egoera hori.
16:17
If 27 individuals
394
962000
2000
27 estatu kide horietako
16:19
from those 27 member states
395
964000
2000
27 gizabanako
16:21
sat around table, speaking their 23 languages,
396
966000
3000
mahai baten inguruan jartzen badira, beren 23 hizkuntzetan hitz egiten,
16:24
some very simple mathematics will tell you
397
969000
2000
matematika sinple batzuek esango dizuete
16:26
that you need an army of 253 translators
398
971000
4000
253 itzultzailez osaturiko armada bat behar duzuela,
16:30
to anticipate all the pairwise possibilities.
399
975000
4000
sor daitezkeen bikote guztiei aurre egiteko.
16:34
The European Union employs a permanent staff
400
979000
3000
Europar Batasunak 2.500 itzultzaileko
16:37
of about 2,500 translators.
401
982000
2000
talde iraunkor bat du.
16:39
And in 2007 alone --
402
984000
2000
Eta 2007an bakarrik --
16:41
and I'm sure there are more recent figures --
403
986000
2000
eta ziur nago zifra berriagoak izango direla --
16:43
something on the order of 1.3 million pages
404
988000
3000
ingelesera bakarrik 1,3 milioi orrialde
16:46
were translated into English alone.
405
991000
3000
itzuli zituzten.
16:49
And so if language really is
406
994000
3000
Eta hizkuntza baldin bada benetan
16:52
the solution to the crisis of visual theft,
407
997000
3000
ikusizko lapurretaren krisiaren soluzioa,
16:55
if language really is
408
1000000
2000
hizkuntza benetan baldin bada
16:57
the conduit of our cooperation,
409
1002000
2000
gure lankidetzaren bideratzailea,
16:59
the technology that our species derived
410
1004000
3000
ideien fluxu eta truke librea sustatzeko,
17:02
to promote the free flow and exchange of ideas,
411
1007000
4000
gure espezieak garatu zuen teknologia,
17:06
in our modern world,
412
1011000
2000
gure mundu modernoan,
17:08
we confront a question.
413
1013000
2000
galdera baten aurrean aurkitzen gara.
17:10
And that question is whether
414
1015000
2000
Eta galdera hori da ea
17:12
in this modern, globalized world
415
1017000
2000
mundu moderno, globalizatu honetan
17:14
we can really afford to have all these different languages.
416
1019000
3000
merezi duen hizkuntza diferente horiek guztiak izatea.
17:17
To put it this way, nature knows no other circumstance
417
1022000
3000
Bestela esateko, naturak ez du beste egoera bat ezagutzen
17:20
in which functionally equivalent traits coexist.
418
1025000
5000
funtzio baliokideak dituzten tasunak aldi berean mantentzen dituenik.
17:25
One of them always drives the other extinct.
419
1030000
3000
Horietako batek beti bestea desagerrarazten du.
17:28
And we see this in the inexorable march
420
1033000
2000
Eta ikusten dugu hor estandarizazioranzko
17:30
towards standardization.
421
1035000
2000
nahitanahiezko martxa dela.
17:32
There are lots and lots of ways of measuring things --
422
1037000
3000
Gauzak neurtzeko modu asko eta asko daude --
17:35
weighing them and measuring their length --
423
1040000
2000
haien pisua eta luzera neurtzeko --
17:37
but the metric system is winning.
424
1042000
2000
baina sistema metrikoa irabazten ari da.
17:39
There are lots and lots of ways of measuring time,
425
1044000
3000
Era asko eta asko daude denbora neurtzeko,
17:42
but a really bizarre base 60 system
426
1047000
3000
baina benetan bitxia den sistema hirurogeitar bat,
17:45
known as hours and minutes and seconds
427
1050000
2000
orduak, minutuak eta segundoak dituena
17:47
is nearly universal around the world.
428
1052000
3000
ia unibertsala da munduan zehar.
17:50
There are many, many ways
429
1055000
2000
Era asko eta asko daude
17:52
of imprinting CDs or DVDs,
430
1057000
2000
CDak edo DVDak grabatzeko,
17:54
but those are all being standardized as well.
431
1059000
3000
baina horiek guztiak ere estandarizatzen ari dira.
17:57
And you can probably think of many, many more
432
1062000
3000
Eta, seguru asko, beste hainbat ere bururatzen zaizkizue
18:00
in your own everyday lives.
433
1065000
2000
zeuon eguneroko bizitzakoak.
18:02
And so our modern world now
434
1067000
3000
Eta horrela gure mundu modernoa
18:05
is confronting us with a dilemma.
435
1070000
2000
gaur dilema baten aurrean aurkitzen da.
18:07
And it's the dilemma
436
1072000
2000
Eta hori txinatarrak aurrean duen
18:09
that this Chinese man faces,
437
1074000
2000
dilema da,
18:11
who's language is spoken
438
1076000
2000
noren hizkuntza da munduan
18:13
by more people in the world
439
1078000
2000
jende gehiagok hitz egiten duena
18:15
than any other single language,
440
1080000
3000
beste edozein hizkuntza baino,
18:18
and yet he is sitting at his blackboard,
441
1083000
4000
eta bere arbelean
18:22
converting Chinese phrases
442
1087000
3000
txinerazko esaldiak itzultzen ari da
18:25
into English language phrases.
443
1090000
2000
ingelesera.
18:27
And what this does is it raises the possibility to us
444
1092000
3000
Eta hori egiteak dakarrena da,
18:30
that in a world in which we want to promote
445
1095000
2000
lankidetza eta trukea sustatu nahi dugun mundu batean,
18:32
cooperation and exchange,
446
1097000
2000
inoiz baino gehiago
18:34
and in a world that might be dependent more than ever before
447
1099000
3000
gure oparotasun-mailak mantentzeko eta hobetzeko,
18:37
on cooperation
448
1102000
2000
lankidetzaren mendeko izan daitekeen mundu batean,
18:39
to maintain and enhance our levels of prosperity,
449
1104000
3000
haren ekintzek
18:42
his actions suggest to us
450
1107000
2000
iradokitzen digutela
18:44
it might be inevitable
451
1109000
2000
ezinbestekoa izan daitekeela
18:46
that we have to confront the idea
452
1111000
2000
gure etorkizuna hizkuntza bakarreko
18:48
that our destiny is to be one world with one language.
453
1113000
3000
mundu batean izango dugun ideiari aurre egin beharra
18:51
Thank you.
454
1116000
2000
Eskerrik asko.
18:53
(Applause)
455
1118000
8000
(Txaloak)
19:01
Matt Ridley: Mark, one question.
456
1126000
2000
Matt Ridley: Mark, galdera bat.
19:03
Svante found that the FOXP2 gene,
457
1128000
3000
Svante-k aurkitu zuen FOXP2 genea,
19:06
which seems to be associated with language,
458
1131000
2000
dirudienez hizkuntzarekin erlazionaturik dagoena,
19:08
was also shared in the same form
459
1133000
2000
Neanderthalek eta guk
19:10
in Neanderthals as us.
460
1135000
2000
forma berean partekatu genuela.
19:12
Do we have any idea
461
1137000
2000
Ba al dakigu zergatik
19:14
how we could have defeated Neanderthals
462
1139000
2000
gainditu genituen Neanderthalak
19:16
if they also had language?
463
1141000
2000
haiek ere hizkuntza baldin bazuten?
19:18
Mark Pagel: This is a very good question.
464
1143000
2000
Mark pagel: oso galdera ona da hori.
19:20
So many of you will be familiar with the idea that there's this gene called FOXP2
465
1145000
3000
Zuetako askok jakingo duzue badela FOXP2 deritzon gene hori eta
19:23
that seems to be implicated in some ways
466
1148000
3000
nola edo hala hizkuntzarekin erlazionaturik dagoen
19:26
in the fine motor control that's associated with language.
467
1151000
3000
kontrol motor finean parte hartzen duela.
19:29
The reason why I don't believe that tells us
468
1154000
2000
Honako arrazoi honegatik ez dut uste
19:31
that the Neanderthals had language
469
1156000
2000
Neanderthalek hizkuntza zutenik --
19:33
is -- here's a simple analogy:
470
1158000
3000
analogia sinple bat dago hor:
19:36
Ferraris are cars that have engines.
471
1161000
3000
Ferrariak motorrak dituzten autoak dira.
19:39
My car has an engine,
472
1164000
2000
Nire autoak motorra du,
19:41
but it's not a Ferrari.
473
1166000
2000
baina ez da Ferrari bat.
19:43
Now the simple answer then
474
1168000
2000
Horri eman dakiokeen erantzun sinplea
19:45
is that genes alone don't, all by themselves,
475
1170000
2000
da geneek soilik, haiek bakarrik,
19:47
determine the outcome
476
1172000
2000
ez dituztela erabat zertzen
19:49
of very complicated things like language.
477
1174000
2000
hizkuntza bezalako oso gauza konplikatuak.
19:51
What we know about this FOXP2 and Neanderthals
478
1176000
2000
FOXP2-az eta Neanderthalez dakiguna da,
19:53
is that they may have had fine motor control of their mouths -- who knows.
479
1178000
4000
beren ahoen kontrol motor fina izango zutela agian -- nork daki.
19:57
But that doesn't tell us they necessarily had language.
480
1182000
2000
baina horrek ez digunahitanahiez adierazten hzikuntza zutela.
19:59
MR: Thank you very much indeed.
481
1184000
2000
MR: Eskerrik asko.
20:01
(Applause)
482
1186000
3000
(Txaloak)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Mark Pagel - Evolutionary biologistUsing biological evolution as a template, Mark Pagel wonders how languages evolve.
Why you should listen
Mark Pagel builds statistical models to examine the evolutionary processes imprinted in human behavior, from genomics to the emergence of complex systems -- to culture. His latest work examines the parallels between linguistic and biological evolution by applying methods of phylogenetics, or the study of evolutionary relatedness among groups, essentially viewing language as a culturally transmitted replicator with many of the same properties we find in genes. He’s looking for patterns in the rates of evolution of language elements, and hoping to find the social factors that influence trends of language evolution.
At the University of Reading, Pagel heads the Evolution Laboratory in the biology department, where he explores such questions as, "Why would humans evolve a system of communication that prevents them with communicating with other members of the same species?" He has used statistical methods to reconstruct features of dinosaur genomes, and to infer ancestral features of genes and proteins.
He says: "Just as we have highly conserved genes, we have highly conserved words. Language shows a truly remarkable fidelity."
Mark Pagel | Speaker | TED.com