1

R P BOTHA

ABRIDGED CURRICULUM VITAE

1.Name

Rudolf Philip Botha

2.Birth

21 March 1942, Cape Town, South Africa

3.Current positions

Professor Emeritus of General Linguistics at the University of Stellenbosch

Honorary Professor of Linguistics at UtrechtUniversity

4.Academic Qualifications

  1. 1962: B.A. cum laude, University of Stellenbosch
  2. 1963: B.A. Hons. cum laude,University of Stellenbosch
  3. 1964: M.A. cum laude,University of Stellenbosch
  4. 1966: Doctorandus Lit., cum laude, UtrechtUniversity
  5. 1968: D.Lit., cum laude, UtrechtUniversity

5.Special Awards, Grants and Fellowships

  1. Chancellor’s Medal of the University of Stellenbosch for the best final year student at the University: 1964
  2. Scholarship of the Dutch Government for doctoral and PhD study: 1965-1969
  3. Research Grants by S.A. Human Sciences Research Council: 1971, 1975-76, 1991, 1995
  4. Europa Stipendium of Alexander von Humboldt Foundation: 1983, 1991
  5. WolfsonCollege (Oxford) Fellowship: 1983
  6. Top Researcher Award of South African Human Sciences Research Council: 1992
  7. Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study Fellowship: 2001-2002
  8. Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study Fellowship: 2005-2006
  9. The South African Academy of Science and Arts : CJ Langenhoven Award for Linguistics 2006

6. Academic Career

  1. Sept. 1966-Feb. 1969:Lecturer of General Linguistics, Utrecht University
  2. Feb. 1969-Dec. 1970:Lecturer of Afrikaans Linguistics, University of Stellenbosch
  3. Jan. 1970-Dec. 1970:Senior Lecturer of General Linguistics, University of Stellenbosch
  4. Jan. 1971-Dec. 2007:Professor of General Linguistics, University of Stellenbosch; Chairman of Department

7.Research Specialization

  1. Methodological and conceptual bases of contemporary linguistic theories
  2. Morphological theory
  3. Word-formation in Afrikaans
  4. Conceptual foundations of evolutionary linguistics (Current)

8.Research Development and Conference Organization

  1. Initiator and writer of a proposal for a multidisciplinary group research project on the theme of “Restricted Linguistic Systems as Windows on Language Genesis”, carried out at NIAS: 2003-2005.
  2. Co-ordinator of a multidisciplinary research group that worked at NIAS on the project referred to in 9.1: 2005-2006.
  3. Organizer of an international workshop on the theme “Windows on Language Genesis”, held at NIAS on 7-8 November 2003.
  4. Organizer of an international workshop on the theme of “Restricted Linguistic Systems as Windows on Language Genesis”, held at NIAS on 2 November 2004.
  5. Organizer of an international conference – the Cradle of Language Conference – on the theme “The Emergence of Language in Africa”,hosted jointly by the University of Stellenbosch and the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study from 6-10 November 2006 in Stellenbosch.

9.Other Academic Activities

  1. Invited/plenary speaker and chairman at international linguistic meetings.
  2. Referee for National Science Foundation of U.S.A. for the evaluation of applications for research grants (Linguistics Program). 3.
  3. Founding member of The International Association of Morphology.
  4. Member of Editorial Board of Language & Communication: An Interdisciplinary Journal (Elsevier,Oxford) and Yearbook of Morphology (Kluwer,Boston and London).
  5. Invited member of an international VSNU panel of experts evaluating the instructional and research programmes in linguistics and related fields offered by all the Dutch universities: 1997-1998.
  6. Member of the Academy of Science of South Africa: 2001- .
  7. Chairman of an international panel for evaluating (peer review) The Netherlands Graduate School of Linguistics (LOT): June 2004 - August 2004.
  8. Editor of Special Section on Language Evolution in two issues of European Review, May - September 2004.
  9. Member of the NRF Assessment Panel responsible for evaluating/grading scientists working in the areas of Literary Studies, Language and Linguistics in South Africa: 2005-2007

10. Contact

Postal address: 27 Van der Stel Street, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa

Telephone: +27 21 8864952

E-mail:

LIST OF SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

A.Books and Monographs

  1. The Function of the Lexicon in Transformational Generative Grammar, (Janua Linguarum Series Maior, Nr. 38), Mouton Publishers, The Hague and Paris, 1968.
  2. The Methodologcial Status of Grammatical Argumentation, (Janua Linguarum, Series Minor, Nr. 105), Mouton Publishers, The Hague and Paris, 1970.
  3. Methodological Aspects of Transformational Generative Phonology, (Janua Linguarum, Series Minor, Nr. 112), Mouton Publishers, The Hague and Paris, 1971.
  4. The Justification of Linguistic Hypotheses: A Study of Non-demonstrative Inference in Transformational Grammar (Janua Linguarum, Series Maior, Nr. 84), Mouton Publishers, The Hague and Paris, 1973.
  5. Generatiewe Taalondersoek: ‘n Sistematiese Inleiding. Hollandsch Afrikaanse Uitgevers Maatschappij, Kaapstad, 1978.
  6. Inleiding tot Generatief Taalonderzoek. Een Methodologisch Handboek. Wolters-Noordhoff, Groningen, 1978.
  7. Methodological Bases of a Progressive Mentalism. Published as a separate number of Synthese.(=Vol. 44), ed by J. Hitikka, 1980, pp.112.
  8. The Conduct of Linguistic Inquiry:A Systematic Introduction to the Methodology of Generative Grammar. Mouton/De Gruyter, The Hague, etc., 1981.
  9. Morphological Mechanisms: Lexicalist Analyses of Synthetic Compounding (Language and Communication Library, Vol. 6). Pergamon Press, Oxford, etc., 1984.
  10. Form and Meaning in Word Formation: A Study of Afrikaans Reduplication.CambridgeUniversity Press, Cambridge, etc., 1988. Reprinted2006.
  11. Challenging Chomsky: The Generative Garden Game. Blackwell, Oxford and New York, 1989. Reprinted1991.
  12. Twentieth Century Conceptions of Language: Mastering the Metaphysics Market. Blackwell, Oxford and New York, 1992.
  13. Unravelling the Evolution of Language. Elsevier, Amsterdam, etc., 2003.
  14. Language Evolution: The Windows Approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016.

B.Other Larger Studies

  1. On the Logic of Linguistic Research, (Utrecht Working Papers in Linguistics, No. 2). Utrecht, 1977.
  2. Word-based Morphology and Synthetic Compounding, (Stellenbosch Papers inLinguistics 5), 1980.
  3. On the ‘Galilean style’ of Linguistic Inquiry, Lingua 58, 1982, pp. 1-50).
  4. A Galilean Analysis of Afrikaans Reduplication (Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics 13), 1984.
  5. The Generative Garden Game: Challenging Chomsky at Conceptual Combat, (Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics 16), 1987.
  6. The World of Language: A Carollinian Canvas. (Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics 29), 1995.

C.Articles and Chapters on the Evolution of Language (only)

  1. Adaptive Complexity as a Putative Characteristic of Language. Research Document Written for the Centre for Science Development of South Africa. March 1997. 74pp.
  2. Neo-Darwinian accounts of the evolution of language. 1 Questions about their explanatory focus, Language & Communication 17, 1997, pp. 249-267.
  3. Neo-Darwinian accounts of the evolution of language. 2 Questions about complex design, Language & Communication 17, 1997, pp. 319-340.
  4. Neo-Darwinian accounts of the evolution of language. 3 Questions about their evidential bases, logic and rhetoric, Language & Communication 18, 1998, pp.17-46.
  5. Neo-Darwinian accounts of the evolution of language. 4 Questions about their comparative appraisal, Language & Communication 18, 1998, pp. 227-249.
  6. On Chomsky’s “fable” of instantaneous language evolution, Language & Communication 19, 1999, pp. 1-15.
  7. Ontological problems in evolutionary linguistics. Proceedings of the 11th International Congress of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science (LMPS), 20-26 August 1999, Cracow, Poland.
  8. On the testability of theories of language evolution, Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics 32, 1999, pp. 1-44.
  9. Discussing the evolution of the assorted beasts called language, Language & Communication 20, 2000, pp.149-160.
  10. On the role of bridge theories in accounts of the evolution of human language, Language & Communication 21, 2001, pp. 61-71.
  11. How much of language, if any, came about in the same sort of way as the brooding chamber in snails?, Language & Communication 21, 2001, pp. 225-243.
  12. Are there features of language that arose like birds’ feathers?, Language & Communication 22, 2002, pp. 17-35.
  13. Did language evolve like the vertebrate eye?, Language & Communication 22, 2002, pp. 131-158.
  14. Windows with a view on language evolution, European Review 12, 2004, pp. 235-243.
  15. Windows on language evolution: What are they and wherein lies their virtue?, Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics 35 [Special Issue 1: Language Evolution], 2004, pp. 1-21.
  16. Windows on language evolution: How are they constructed?, Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics 35 [Special Issue 1: Language Evolution], 2004, pp. 23-41.
  17. The evolutionary linguist’s divining-rod: Restrictive theory, Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics 35 [Special Issue 1: Language Evolution], 2004, pp. 43-54.
  18. On the Windows Approach to language evolution, Language & Communication 26, 2006, pp.129-143.
  19. Pidgin languages as a putative window on language evolution, Language & Communication 26, 2006, pp. 1-14.
  20. On homesign systems as a potential window on language evolution, Language & Communication 27, 2007, pp. 41-53.
  21. Prehistoric shell beads as a window on language evolution. Language & Communication 28, 2008, pp. 197-212.
  22. On modeling prelinguistic evolution in early hominims. Language & Communication 28, 2008, pp. 258-275.
  23. On musilanguage/”Hmmmmm” as an evolutionary precursor to language. Language & Communication 29, 2009, pp. 61-76.
  24. Chapter 1: Introduction: rewards and challenges of multi-perspectival work on the evolution of language and speech, in R. Botha and C. Knight (eds.), The Prehistory of Language, University Press, Oxford, 2009, pp. 1-11.
  25. Chapter 5: Theoretical underpinnings of inferences about language evolution: the syntax used at BlombosCave, in R. Botha and C. Knight (eds.), The Cradle of Language, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2009, pp. 69-107.
  26. Chapter 1: What are windows on language evolution?, in R. Botha & H. de Swart (eds.), Language Evolution: The View from Restricted Linguistic Systems, LOT Occasional Series 10, Utrecht, 2009, pp. 1-20.
  27. On the soundness of inferring modern language from symbolic behaviour. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 20, 2010, pp. 345-356.
  28. Constraining the arbitrariness of exaptationist accounts of language evolution. Lingua 121, 2011, pp. 1552-1563
  29. Inferring language from ancient objects, in K.R. Gibson and M.O. Tallerman (eds.), Handbook of Language Evolution, Oxford University Press, Oxford,2012.
  30. Protolanguage and the ‘God particle’. Lingua 122: 1308-13024.
  31. Teaching and learning subsistence skills: Did premodern hominins use language to do it? Cambridge Archaeological Journal 25: 901-908.

My unabridged publications list contains 41 articles in areas other than

the evolution of language, including conceptual foundations of theories of

language, morphological theory, and word formation.

D.First co-editor of Volumes on the Evolution of Language

1.With C. Knight. The Prehistory of Language.Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press. 2009.

2.With C. Knight. The Cradle of Language.OxfordUniversity Press. 2009.

3.With H. de Swart. Language Evolution: The View from Restricted Linguistic Systems. LOT Occasional Series. Utrecht. 2009.

4.With M. Everaert. The Evolutionary Emergence of Language: Evidence and Inference. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2013.