Description
Book SynopsisWhile no direct evidence for the origin and evolution of language exists, Barnard looks to the present to explain the past, focussing on how modern hunter-gatherers, as non-literate people, use and perceive language. This fascinating book will be welcomed by all those interested in the evolution of language.
Trade Review'A refreshingly open-minded book on one of the most exciting debates of our time.' Chris Knight, University College London
'At slightly more than one hundred pages, Language in Prehistory has surely a very ambitious objective, namely surveying the probable causes and dynamics of the rising and evolution of language … Alan Barnard has written an interesting piece of literature, by drawing from his own scholarly field and integrating it with insights from genetics and linguistics. … Barnard juxtaposes broad and diverse fields of scholarship by suggesting that synergy between these would hopefully lead to interesting and meaningful discoveries.' Matteo Tarsi, Linguist List (www.linguistlist.org)
'Barnard's book is a useful reminder of fascinating facts that we are otherwise prone to overlook - especially facts about hunter-gatherers, such as their intellectual sophistication or pervasive multilingualism.' Sławomir Wacewicz, Anthropos
Table of Contents1. Introduction; 2. Population diversity and language diversity; 3. What did prehistoric people do?; 4. How did prehistoric people think?; 5. Narratives of the every-day; 6. Mythological narratives; 7. Sexual selection and language evolution; 8. Conclusions and thoughts for the future.
