Origins of language : constraints on hypotheses
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Origins of language : constraints on hypotheses
（Converging evidence in language and communication research / Marjolijn Verspoor, Wilbert Spooren, editors, v. 5）
J. Benjamins, c2005
- : Eur
- : US
- : Pb
Available at / 37 libraries
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Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies, Kyoto Universityアフリカ専攻
: Eur801||Joh70581305
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 248-330) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Sverker Johansson has written an unusual book on language origins, with its emphasis on empirical evidence rather than theory-building. This is a book for the student or researcher who prefers solid data and well-supported conclusions, over speculative scenarios. Much that has been written on the origins of language is characterized by hypothesizing largely unconstrained by evidence. But empirical data do exist, and the purpose of this book is to integrate and review the available evidence from all relevant disciplines, not only linguistics but also, e.g., neurology, primatology, paleoanthropology, and evolutionary biology. The evidence is then used to constrain the multitude of scenarios for language origins, demonstrating that many popular hypotheses are untenable. Among the issues covered: (1) Human evolutionary history, (2) Anatomical prerequisites for language, (3) Animal communication and ape "language", (4) Mind and language, (5) The role of gesture, (6) Innateness, (7) Selective advantage of language, (8) Proto-language.
Table of Contents
- 1. Preface
- 2. 1. Introduction
- 3. 2. What is language?
- 4. 3. The theory of evolution
- 5. 4. Human origins and evolution
- 6. 5. Anatomical and neurological prerequisites
- 7. 6. Animal communication in the wild
- 8. 7. Can nonhumans be taught language?
- 9. 8. Language, mind, and self
- 10. 9. Hypotheses of language origins
- 11. 10. Why did language evolve?
- 12. 11. Protolanguage
- 13. 12. Conclusions
- 14. References
- 15. Index
by "Nielsen BookData"