Primary Consciousness As A Prerequisite For Language, Viewed Through Systemic Functional Linguistics

Edelman (1992: 126):

The considerations presented so far suggest that a model for speech acquisition requires primary consciousness. Furthermore, the development of a rich syntax and grammar is highly improbable without the prior evolution of a neural means for concepts. If this turns out to be true, it will be obvious why computers are unable to deal with semantic situations. Their embodiment is wrong; it does not lead to consciousness.

Blogger Comments:

From the perspective of Systemic Functional Linguistic theory, in requiring primary consciousness, the emergence of language, phylogenetically and ontogenetically, thus requires the prior ability to correlate current construals of experience as instances of perceptual meaning with systems of value-weighted perceptual potential.