THE ORIGIN OF SPEECH AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR THE OPTIMAL SIZE OF HUMAN GROUPS

In Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of language, Robin Dunbar argues that speech developed from primate vocalizations as a replacement for grooming. Dunbar convincingly shows that language is just a highly de veloped from of primate communication. But Dunbar's thesis about the r elationship between speech and optimal group size is problematic: his focus on strong ties leads him to overlook the integrative force of we ak-tie networks.