The Evolution of Human Languages: Their Past, Present and Future
Science & Cocktails is excited to announce a new episode with Mark Pagel, Fellow of the Royal Society and Professor of Evolutionary Biology at Reading University, Mark will delve into the origins and evolution of language, exploring questions such as when language first arose, whether Neanderthals had the ability to speak, and how languages evolve, change, and spread across the globe. He’ll also consider whether we might one day return to a world with just one language, raising thought-provoking ideas about the role and future of communication. The event will feature our signature cocktails and will be held in English, with live music by Autometer, a krautrock-inspired band offering a sneak peek at their upcoming debut album.
Tickets:
Seated tickets are paid. Standing tickets are free and valid until 8pm. This means that you should enter before 8pm and can stay the entire event. After 8pm we let people in on a first come, first served basis.
When did language evolve? How many different languages have ever been spoken? Did the Neanderthals have language? How long do languages and their words last? Will there be just one world language in the future?
Humans speak over 7000 different languages around the world meaning that we are the only species whose members cannot all communicate with each other. No other animal is like that. What is language for if not communication? In this talk I will explore when language first evolved, ask whether any other species, such as the Neanderthals, have had language, and explore how languages evolve or change and the revealing way they are distributed around the world. I will also ask whether the world will one day have just a single language, in effect returning us to where we were when language first arose.
Event held in English with the generous support of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
Talk by
Mark Pagel
Mark Pagel is a Fellow of the Royal Society, Professor of Evolutionary Biology at Reading University and an External Fellow of the Santa Fe Institute. He is best known for his work on building statistical models to identify the evolutionary processes underlying animal and human behavior, from genomics to the emergence of complex systems -- to language and culture. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning Oxford Encyclopedia of Evolution and co-author of The Comparative Method in Evolutionary Biology which is regarded as a classic in the field. He is widely published in Nature and Science, and has lectured widely including presentations at the World Economics Forum. His book Wired for Culture: Origins of the Human Social Mind published in 2012 was named as one of the best science books of the year by the Guardian newspaper.
Music by
Autometer
Introducing Autometer, an innovative krautrock band formed by the creative collaboration of musicians Asger Techau (known from Kashmir, Nymalet, and more) on drums, Lars Bech Pilgaard (from Svin, Bisse, and others) on guitar, and Michael Vitus ('Wash Your Dirty Money With My Art') on bass. We are currently putting the finishing touches on our debut album, set to release later this year. Our sound blends pulsating rhythms with atmospheric textures, capturing the essence of krautrock while offering a fresh perspective. You can listen to four tracks from the upcoming album here: A sneak peek at our SoundCloud. Stay tuned as we refine the mixes and prepare for our official launch!
