The seeds of speech : language origin and evolution
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The seeds of speech : language origin and evolution
(Canto)
Cambridge University Press, 2000
Canto ed
- : pbk
Available at 48 libraries
  Aomori
  Iwate
  Miyagi
  Akita
  Yamagata
  Fukushima
  Ibaraki
  Tochigi
  Gunma
  Saitama
  Chiba
  Tokyo
  Kanagawa
  Niigata
  Toyama
  Ishikawa
  Fukui
  Yamanashi
  Nagano
  Gifu
  Shizuoka
  Aichi
  Mie
  Shiga
  Kyoto
  Osaka
  Hyogo
  Nara
  Wakayama
  Tottori
  Shimane
  Okayama
  Hiroshima
  Yamaguchi
  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
  Kochi
  Fukuoka
  Saga
  Nagasaki
  Kumamoto
  Oita
  Miyazaki
  Kagoshima
  Okinawa
  Korea
  China
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
  Germany
  Switzerland
  France
  Belgium
  Netherlands
  Sweden
  Norway
  United States of America
Note
"First published 1996. Canto edition 2000"--T.p. verso
Includes bibliographical references (p. 245-268) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Human language is a weird communication system: it has more in common with birdsong than with the calls of other primates. In this wide-ranging and accessible overview, first published in 2000, Jean Aitchison explores the origins of human language and how it has evolved. She likens the search to a vast pre-historic jigsaw puzzle, in which numerous fragments of evidence must be assembled. Such evidence is pieced together from a mixture of linguistic and non-linguistic sources like evolution theory, archaeology, psychology, and anthropology. She explains why language is so strange, outlines recent theories about its origin, and discusses possible paths of evolution. Finally, Jean Aitchison considers what holds all languages together and prevents them from becoming unlearnably different from one another. The Seeds of Speech is a fascinating book that will appeal to everyone who is interested in the origins and evolution of human language, including linguists, anthropologists, psychologists, archaeologists, and the general reader.
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Part I. Puzzles: 1. A natural curiosity: how did language begin?
- 2. A peculiar habit: what is language for?
- 3. The bother at Babel: why do languages differ so much?
- 4. Distinct duties: is language an independent skill?
- Part II. Origin: 5. The family tree: the evolutionary background
- 6. A devious mind: the basic requirements
- 7. Broken air: inherited ingredients
- 8. Small beginnings: first steps
- Part III. Evolution: 9. The secong word: the emergence of rules
- 10. The tower of speech: expansion
- 11. Time travelling: extra attachments
- 12. Rebuilding on the high seas: keeping going
- Part IV. Diffusion: 13. The widening circle: moving outwards
- 14. The hidden core: the hunt for universals
- 15. The real magician: ruling the rules
- 16. Unweaving the rainbow: separating the strands
- 17. The endless stair: past and future
- Symbols used in the text
- Notes and suggestions for further reading
- References
- Index.
by "Nielsen BookData"