The Lawrence Jacobsen Library
Books Received (Primate-Science/PrimateLit)
LANGUAGE EVOLUTION
Edited By: Morten H. Christiansen and Simon Kirby (Taken from the back cover) What is it that makes us human? This is one of the most challenging and important questions we face. Our speciesÔø‡Ôø‡ defining characteristic is language Ôø‡Ôø‡we appear to be unique in the natural world in having such an incredibly open-ended system for putting thoughts into words. If we are to truly understand ourselves as a species we must understand the origins of this strange and unique ability. To do so, we need to answer some of the most intriguing questions in contemporary scientific research: Where did language come from? How did it evolve? Why are we unique in possessing it? This book, for the first time, brings together the leading thinkers who are trying to unlock the puzzle of language evolution. Here we see the latest ideas and theories from fields as diverse as anthropology, archaeology, artificial life, biology, cognitive science, linguistics, neuroscience, and psychology. In a series of 17 well-written and accessible chapters we get an unrivalled view of the state of the art in this exciting area. Current controversies are revealed and new perspectives uncovered, n a clear ad readable guide to the latest theories. This collection marks a major step forward in our quest to understand the origins and evolution of human language. In doing so it sheds new light on the process of evolution, the workings of the brain, the structure of language, and Ôø‡Ôø‡most importantly Ôø‡Ôø‡what it means to be human. ABOUT THE EDITORS (Taken from the back cover) Morten H. Christiansen is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Cornell University. He is co-author of Creating Language to be published by OUP. Simon Kirby is a Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh: his book, Function, Selection, and Innateness was published by OUP in 1999. CONTENTS Preface vii List of Figures x List of Tables xi Notes on Contributors xii 1. Language Evolution: The Hardest Problem in Science? Morten H. Christiansen and Simon Kirby Page 1 2. Language as an Adaptation to the Cognitive Niche Steven Pinker Page 16 3. The Language Mosaic and its Evolution James R. Hurford Page 38 4. What Can the Field of Linguistics Tell Us About the Origins of Language? Frederick J. Newmeyer Page 58 5. Symbol and Structure: A Comprehensive Framework for Language Evolution Derek Bickerton Page 77 6. On the Different Origins of Symbols and Grammar Michael Tomasello Page 94 7. Universal Grammar and Semiotic Constraints Terrence W. Deacon Page 111 8. The Archaeological Evidence of Language Origins: States of Art Iain Davidson Page 140 9. What Are the Uniquely Human Components of the Language Faculty? Marc D. Hauser and W. Tecumseh Fitch Page 158 10. The Evolving Mirror System: A Neural Basis for Language Readiness Michael A. Arbib Page 182 11. From Hand to Mouth: The Gestural Origins of Language Michael C. Corballis Page 201 12. The Origin and Subsequent Evolution of Language Robin I.M. Dunbar Page 219 13. Launching Language: The Gestural Origins of Discrete Infinity Michael Studdert-Kennedy and Louis Goldstein Page 235 14. Motor Control, Speech, and the Evolution of Human Language Philip Lieberman Page 255 15. From Language Learning to Language Evolution Simon Kirby and Morten H. Christiansen Page 272 16. Grammatical Assimilation Ted Briscoe Page 295 17. Language, Learning and Evolution Natalia L. Komarova and Martin A. Nowak Page 317 References 338 Index 385 HOW TO ORDER Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10016-4314 ISBN 0-19-924484-7 Softcover $24.95 Oxford University Press Website: www.oup.com/us Direct Link to Online Cataloge Entry: http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Linguistics/SociolinguisticsAnthropologicalL/~~/dmlldz11c2EmY2k9MDE5OTI0NDg0Nw== Posted Date: 11/12/04
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