Language EvolutionMorten H. Christiansen, Simon Kirby What is it that makes us human? This is one of the most challenging and important questions we face. Our species' defining characteristic is language - 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 seventeen 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, in a clear and 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 - most importantly - what it means to be human. Language Evolution is essential reading for researchers and students working in the areas covered, and has been used as a textbook for courses in the field. It will also attract the general reader who wants to know more about this fascinating subject. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 38
Page xii
... simulation of language development and change . Morten H. Christiansen is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Cor- nell University . His research integrates connectionist modeling , statistical analyses , behavioural experimentation ...
... simulation of language development and change . Morten H. Christiansen is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Cor- nell University . His research integrates connectionist modeling , statistical analyses , behavioural experimentation ...
Page xiv
... simulation work on the self - organization of phonology through mutual attunement of computational agents . Marc D. Hauser's research sits at the interface between evolutionary biology and cognitive neuroscience and is aimed at ...
... simulation work on the self - organization of phonology through mutual attunement of computational agents . Marc D. Hauser's research sits at the interface between evolutionary biology and cognitive neuroscience and is aimed at ...
Page xv
... simulations of various aspects of the evolution of language . Simon Kirby is a research fellow in the Language Evolution and Compu- tation Research Unit at the University of Edinburgh . At the LEC he has pioneered a computational ...
... simulations of various aspects of the evolution of language . Simon Kirby is a research fellow in the Language Evolution and Compu- tation Research Unit at the University of Edinburgh . At the LEC he has pioneered a computational ...
Page 4
... simulations in which simple but coordinated language systems emerge within populations of artificial agents through iterated learning across generations ( this work is described in more detail in Kirby and Christiansen , Chapter 15 ) ...
... simulations in which simple but coordinated language systems emerge within populations of artificial agents through iterated learning across generations ( this work is described in more detail in Kirby and Christiansen , Chapter 15 ) ...
Page 10
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Contents
1 | |
The Language Mosaic and its Evolution | 38 |
What Can the Field of Linguistics Tell Us About the Origins of Language? | 58 |
A Comprehensive Framework | 77 |
On the Different Origins of Symbols and Grammar | 94 |
Universal Grammar and Semiotic Constraints | 111 |
States of | 140 |
What Are the Uniquely Human Components of the Language Faculty? | 158 |
The Origin and Subsequent Evolution of Language | 219 |
The Gestural Origin of Discrete Infinity | 235 |
Motor Control Speech and the Evolution of Human Language | 255 |
From Language Learning to Language Evolution | 272 |
Grammatical Assimilation | 295 |
Language Learning and Evolution | 317 |
References | 338 |
385 | |
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Common terms and phrases
ability Acheulean acoustic action adaptation animals apes Arbib argue articulatory articulatory phonology basal ganglia behaviour Bickerton biological brain Broca's Broca's area Cambridge capacity Chapter chimpanzees Chomsky Christiansen cognitive complex computational constraints constructions cultural emergence encoded evidence evolution of language evolutionary evolved example Fitch formant FOXP2 function gene genetic assimilation genotype gestures grammaticalization guage Hauser hominids Homo human language Hurford hypothesis iconic imitation indexical individual infants innate Journal Kirby language acquisition language evolution language origins larynx learnable learner Lieberman linguistic meaning mirror neurons mirror system modern humans monkey motor natural selection networks neural non-human Nowak organ Oxford Parkinson's disease perception phonetic phonological Pinker population possible primate protolanguage Sciences semantic semiotic sentences sequence signals simulations social sounds species speech production structure suggests syntactic syntax theory tion Tomasello tongue uniformitarianism Universal Grammar University Press utterances verb vocal tract vowel words