Addressing the theme “The evolutionary emergence of human language in Africa”, the conference is jointly organised by SU and the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study (NIAS) and takes place from 6 - 10 November 2006 in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Sketching the scientific background of the CLC, Rudie Botha – Professor in General Linguistics at SU and organiser-in-chief of the conference – said that “It has become increasingly clear that our evolution is inseparably intertwined with the origin and development of human language. Thus, some 2 million years ago, Homo habilis, the first human-like creatures, emerged as a species with a brain probably capable of "housing" a primitive form of language. A bit later, roughly a million years ago, Homo ergaster appeared on the scene as probably the first species that had protolanguage, a more highly developed form of ancestral language. And, more recently, between more or less 100,000 and 150,000 years ago, Homo sapiens sapiens – that is, we humans – made our entrance as a species distinguished by its having full modern language. As all three species originated in Africa, unravelling the evolution of language is particularly significant to the people of this continent: it helps to clarify their unique place in the prehistory of man. The deeper significance of the conference accordingly lies in what it will contribute to such clarification.”Discussion at the conference will draw upon recent work in a range of fields – including archaeology, anthropology, evolutionary theory, genetics, linguistics, musicology, neuroanatomy, neurology, palaeontology, primatology and psychology. The conference thus seeks to advance focused, cross-disciplinary discussion, which, according to Prof Botha, is a prerequisite for real progress. “A special feature of the conference is a symposium on the theme of restricted linguistic systems as windows on language evolution,” he said.More than 80 top scientists from all over the world will read papers CLC including the following plenary speakers. · Alan Barnard, University of Edinburgh: The social origins of language: sharing, exchange, kinship. · Rudie Botha, Stellenbosch University: Theoretical underpinnings of inferences about language evolution.· Nicholas Conard, Universität Tübingen: Is the archaeological evidence for early symbolic communication and music consistent with an African origin of language? · Iain Davidson, University of New England: The importance of archaeological evidence for investigating the evolutionary emergence of language. · Francesco d'Errico, CNRS, Université Bordeaux 1 and George Washington University: Historical contingency or biological change? The search for the main factor that has produced the emergence of modern cultures and languages. · Robin Dunbar, University of Liverpool: Why is language unique to humans? · Tecumseh Fitch, University of St. Andrews: Comparative data and fossil cues to speech. · Christopher Henshilwood, African Heritage Research Institute, Cape Town and University of Bergen: Reading the artefacts: Gleaning language skills from the Middle Stone Age in Southern Africa. · Jean-Marie Hombert, CNRS and Université Lumière Lyon 2: The paleolinguistic situation of the African continent. · Jim Hurford, University of Edinburgh: Can we date language by comparing it with artefacts and non-linguistic behaviour? · Chris Knight, University of East London: Language, ochre and the rule of law. · Steven Mithen, University of Reading: The co-evolution of music and language. · Paul Mellars, University of Cambridge: Patterns of cognitive evolution in modern human origins. · Salikoko Mufwene, University of Chicago: Competition, selection, generative entrenchment, and exaptation in language evolution. · Wendy K. Wilkins, Michigan State University: The mosaic neurobiology of language: African origins, but how did we get here from there? Comments by some of the participants:Jean-Marie Hombert, Director of the CNRS (France) and Professor at the Université Lumière Lyon 2 said that there recently has been a renewed interest in research on topics related to the origin of language. “This has generated a number of meetings and conferences, especially the "Evolution of language conference" started by Jim Hurford ten years ago. The CLC will allow scholars to dig deeper into this fascinating area of research; it has a well-focused topic (discussion of arguments for - and against - an African origin of language) and the proposed contributions will allow a balanced discussion between linguists and archaeologists. It should also be emphasised that the location of the conference will make it possible to highlight the important contribution of South African material and research to this field.”Chris Henshilwood of the African Heritage Research Institute, Cape Town and University of Bergen, Norway, said: “We now know that Africa is the birthplace of our species, Homo sapiens, and that the origins of language and modern behaviour almost certainly lie on this continent. It is appropriate then that the Cradle of Language conference, organised by Stellenbosch University, is being held in southern Africa. Leading academics from many countries will gather in the Winelands in November to debate when, where, how and why we first started using complex language. The results are expected to be fascinating and will contribute to understanding the crucial role that language played in human evolution. ”According to Nicholas Conard, Professor in the Abt. Ältere Urgeschichte und Quartärökologie, of the Universität Tübingen, the Stellenbosch meeting is unique in that it brings together leading researchers in linguistics, paleoanthropology and archaeology. “Thus, the at times abstract theories for the evolution of language can be tested using concrete anatomical and archaeological data. This is essential, because most paleoanthropologists and archaeologist are not experts in linguistics, and most linguists lack first-hand knowledge of the archaeological and anthropological reality on the ground. This constructive clash of research traditions will no doubt bring important breakthroughs in the study of the origin of language.”Contact Details:Professor Rudie Botha  Stellenbosch University  rpb@sun.ac.za  www.clc.sun.ac.za