Inhelder 1984:41). Such would be the origin of language: the
representation of scenes by elementary propositions of protolanguage
would have been preceded and made possible by their played-out
representation.
The consequences of these played-out and rhythmic imitations are of
central importance for hominization.We have first the development of
pointing and of exchanges that progressively construct the relations
of intentionality among members of the group:imitation implies will-
ingness to imitate and recognition of this intention.In parallel with this,
control of the body in rhythmic games,which function at the same time
for oneself and for others,leads,if not yet to a theory of mind,to a sense
of consciousness of the self and of one’s own body.Second,imitation,
whatever the object is,leads to an analysis,first acted out,of movements
necessary for the success of the imitation:to improve the accuracy of an
imitation or of an act of throwing,the actor has to break down his motion
into more elementary movements.
We previously underlined the importance of the combination of ele-
mentary sequences as the foundation for a general syntax:it must not be
forgotten that combinatorial synthesis implies a movement parallel to
analysis.What is true for gestures and movements is also true for music
and language.How can we understand,in fact,the articulation of lan-
guage in phonemes,word morphemes,and sentences as well as the arti-
culation of music in degrees of the scale,motifs,and musical phrases? In
both cases it is certainly necessary to conceive of,starting with unana-
lyzed global sequences similar to animal calls,a double process:a
top-down analysis that decomposes the sequence into combinations of
lower-level elements,and a bottom-up recombination of new sequences
and,possibly,construction of higher-order sequences.Segmentation and
recombination thus go hand in hand with motor control mechanisms that
impose collective synchronization on activities.
All the elements of representation are thus combined,and at the same
time the possibility of systematically transmitting a piece of information
emerges:mimetic culture is one in which learning and teaching bring
forth a new form of evolution that consists of transmission and trans-
formation of new cultural units,memes.The cultural heritage is thus
added onto biological inheritance.
Have I told fictions here? If so,I would at least have been faithful to
the founding act of hominization:the telling of stories.Note
Translated from the French by Steven Brown.175 Toward an Evolutionary Theory of Music and Language