Description
Book SynopsisIn this forcefully argued book, the leading evolutionary theorist of language provides a framework for studying the evolution of human language and cognition. Philip Lieberman asserts that the widely influential theories of language’s development are inconsistent with principles and findings of evolutionary biology and neuroscience.
Trade ReviewDiscussions of language tend to start from the assumption that it is a uniquely human trait without antecedent in the animal kingdom.
Toward an Evolutionary Biology of Language forcefully challenges this assumption. Lieberman brings together a wide range of evidence from comparative anatomy, physiology, neurobiology, genetics, neuropsychology, and linguistics to illuminate the protolinguistic abilities in other species. -- Joseph T. Devlin * Science *
Table of ContentsPreface 1. The Mark of Evolution 2. Primitive and Derived Features of Language 3. The Singularity of Speech 4. The Neural Bases of Language 5. Motor Control and the Evolution of Language 6. The Gift of Tongue 7. Linguistic Issues 8. Where We Might Go Notes References Index
