Abstract We propose that languages (and seemingly our language capabilities) evolved gradually as a result of being engaged in an active feedback loop with human self-domestication. Our proposal primarily builds on the management of aggression: it ties early stages of the evolution of languages with the taming of reactive aggression, whereas it ties late stages with the rise of proactive aggression. Overall, we posit a four-stage model, from simple (even single-word) utterances (Stage One), to simple two-slot grammars (Stage Two), to languages optimized for in-group communication (Stage Three), to languages better suited for communicating non-shared knowledge to strangers (Stage Four).

中文翻译：

---

人类自我驯化影响下的语言进化四阶段模型

摘要 我们提出，语言（以及看似我们的语言能力）是随着人类自我驯化参与到一个积极的反馈循环中而逐渐进化的。我们的建议主要建立在攻击性管理的基础上：它将语言进化的早期阶段与反应性攻击性的驯服联系起来，而将晚期阶段与主动攻击性的兴起联系起来。总的来说，我们假设了一个四阶段模型，从简单的（甚至是单个单词的）话语（第一阶段）到简单的两槽语法（第二阶段），再到针对群内交流优化的语言（第三阶段），再到语言更适合与陌生人交流非共享知识（第四阶段）。