| Abstract: |
This research explores the geographical origins of the coevolution of cultural
and linguistic traits in the course of human history, relating the
geographical roots of long-term orientation to the structure of the future
tense, the agricultural determinants of gender bias to the presence of
sex-based grammatical gender, and the ecological origins of hierarchical
orientation to the existence of politeness distinctions. The study advances
the hypothesis and establishes empirically that: (i) geographical
characteristics that were conducive to higher natural return to agricultural
investment contributed to the existing cross-language variations in the
structure of the future tense, (ii) the agricultural determinants of gender
gap in agricultural productivity fostered the existence of sex-based
grammatical gender, and (iii) the ecological origins of hierarchical societies
triggered the emergence of politeness distinctions. |