PHL 606 Chapter Notes - Chapter n/a: Mate Choice, Standardized Test
14 Dec 2017
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People compete to speak; we are not inherently good listeners. Boy meets girl usually means boy and girl talk. Language is displayed at every stage of courtship. Starting from introductions, compliments, to trading personal information, shared interests, etc. Courtship breaks down when there is no mutual language. Either person is able to break off the courtship at any stage or attempt to escalate intimacy. Theory that complex human language evolved through the male"s need to compete for social status by speaking eloquently. Emphasis on verbal leadership as opposed to verbal courtship. Best language needed to find a lover. Listeners award higher social status to speakers who make relevant, interesting points in conversation. Sexual selection shaped human language through mate choice and through social status. Since language evolved, individuals have been trying to extract information from one another. The more talking, the more information they got. The more information, the greater effect sexual selection could have.
