The Necessary Bases For Linguistic Meanings Viewed Through Systemic Functional Linguistics

Edelman (1992: 126):

I propose that before language evolved, the brain already had the necessary bases for meanings in its capacities to produce and act on concepts. The evolution in primates of rich conceptual memories, and in hominids of phonological capabilities and special brain regions for the production, ordering, and memory of speech sounds, then opened up the possibility of the emergence of higher-order consciousness.

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From the perspective of Systemic Functional Linguistic theory, the systems of value-weighted perceptual potential (Edelman's 'concepts'), which opened up the possibility of the emergence of primary consciousness, are the necessary bases for the emergence of the meanings of protolanguage, from which the meanings of language later emerged, opening up the possibility of the emergence of higher-order consciousness.