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Workshop des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Forschungskollegs "Medien und kulturelle Kommunikation" (SFB/FK 247)
Teilprojekt C10 in Kooperation mit dem Musikwissenschaftlichen Institut (Systematische Musikwissenschaft)

15./16. Oktober 2008
Neuer Senatssaal, Universität zu Köln

For nearly two decades there is increasing interest in the origins of language and music (e.g. Wallin/Merker/Brown 2000; Mithen 2005; Tallermann 2005; Christiansen/Kirby 2003) and a recent interest in the neural basis of dance (Birringer/Fenger 2005; Grove/Stevens/MecKnechie 2005). The neuroscientific discovery of mirror neurons in monkey and mirror systems in humans amplified this interest. Furthermore, the importance of mirror neurons or systems is recognized as essential for an explanation of human understanding in connection with social interaction, symbolization, intentionality, and empathy. The purpose of the workshop "The Mirror System Hypothesis: On Being Moved" is to explore the relation of the mirror system hypothesis for language evolution to music and dance and to figure out research questions that are worth further inquiry.

The workshop is based on two research programs concerning language from a linguistic, neuroscientific and evolutionary perspective: Noam Chomsky's mentalistic account of an innate universal grammar and Michael A. Arbib's action-oriented, embodied, schema-theoretic approach to language and language evolution based on the discovery of mirror neurons and systems (Rizzolatti/Sinigaglia 2008) and his idea of language readiness (Arbib 2005, 2006). The generative approach influenced research on music theory and cognition and entered into the debate on the evolution of music (McDermott/Hauser 2003; Fitch/Hauser 2004).

Unfortunately research in both fields has proceeded separately from each other. Therefore, one idea of this workshop is to bring together researchers from different disciplines such as neuroscience of music and language, cognitive archaeology, evolutionary psychology and the study of motor-behavior and dance in order to discuss and exchange their research results in the light of the Extended Mirror System Hypothesis and language readiness. The Extended Mirror System Hypothesis (Arbib 2005, 2006, 2008) states seven stages: S1 grasping, S2 mirror system for grasping, S3 simple imitation, S4 complex imitation, S5 protosign, S6 protospeech, S7 language. S1, S2 and S3 form prehominid stages. Stages S4 to S6 distinguish the hominid line from the great apes. Hypothesized criteria for language readiness (LR) are "from hierarchical structuring to temporal ordering" (LR4), "symbolization" (LR1), "intentionality" (LR2), and "parity" (LR3). LR4 is associated with S1 and S2. LR1, LR2, and LR3 are associated with S5 protosign. The Extended Mirror System Hypothesis is considered as a neurolinguistic hypothesis that provides an evolutionary framework for neurolinguistics. The main purpose is to identify the neural mechanisms underlying language processing.

How might "music" and "dance" fit into the evolutionary scenario provided by the Mirror System Hypothesis for language? What is the relation of "music", "language", and "dance"? To what extent can "music", "language" and "dance" be considered as communication systems? How do they differ? How are cultural, archaeological, biological and neuroscientific research on the evolution of communicative systems, i.e. (S5) symbolization, intentionality, imitation (S4) related? To what extent does symbolization in music and dance exist? What is the semantics of music and dance in comparison with the semantics of language? Do compositionality and the parity principle for language hold for music and dance too? What is the role of entrainment/synchronization in dance and music? What is known about underlying neural mechanisms or systems for music and language processing? Do they share common neural mechanisms? What is the empirical evidence? Is a combined neuroscientific and evolutionary approach to media such as music and dance promising, and is it important to the humanities?

In order to cope with these questions a closer comparative look at speech (processing) and "music" (processing) and of sign language and dance in relation to the levels S5 and S6 is needed. It seems that in cognitive archaeology these stages are termed the "evolutionary process of speciation" (Renfrew 2007). The stage of language readiness (S5) is characterized by symbolization, intentionality and parity. A crucial step in this theory of language evolution is the transition from complex imitation, stage S4 (Arbib 2006), or mimetic culture (Donald 1991) to protosign (S5) which grounds protospeech (S6) and is interwoven with protospeech.

The workshop addresses some of these questions and is organized in two parts: „On Being Moved I“ will be concerned with music and speech/language, and „On Being Moved II“ focuses on movement and dance.

Programm

Mittwoch, 15. Oktober 2008

10:00
Uwe Seifert
Introduction

10:30
Michael A. Arbib
The Extended Mirror System Hypothesis for the Evolution of the Language-ready Brain

12:15
Mittagspause

14:00
Ingo Meister
Neural Networks for Auditory-motor Interaction in Music Performance and Language

15:00
Björn Merker
The vocal learning constellation in birdsong, music and language: functional requirements and neural mechanisms

16:00
Kaffeepause

16:30
Ian Cross
Musical Communication: Evolutionary Bases of Musical Meaning

17:30
Iain Morley
Vocal and corporeal gesture and the experience of emotion, as related to musical production and perception

Donnerstag, 16. Oktober 2008

9:30
Lawrence Parsons
New findings on the brain basis of music, dance, and language production

10:30
Ivar Hagendoorn
Dance, Language and the Brain. An Evolutionary Perspective

11:30
Kaffeepause

12:00
Bettina Bläsing
Cognitive Structures of Movement in Dance

13:00
Final discussion

Veranstaltungstyp: Workshops

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