The Transition to Language

Erscheinungsjahr 2002
ISBN: 978-0-19-925065-3
Verlag: OXFORD UNIV PR

Buch, Englisch, 424 Seiten, Format (B × H): 164 mm x 244 mm, Gewicht: 710 g

Reihe: Oxford Linguistics

Linguists, biological anthropologists, and cognitive scientists come together in this book to explore the origins and early evolution of phonology, syntax, and semantics. They consider the nature of pre- and proto-linguistic communication, the internal and external triggers that led to its transformation into language, and whether and how language may be considered to have evolved after its inception. Evidence is drawn from many domains, including computer simulations of language emergence, the songs of finches, problem-solving abilities in monkeys, sign language, and the structure of languages today.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Wray, Alison

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Sprachwissenschaft Historische & Vergleichende Sprachwissenschaft, Sprachtypologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Sprachwissenschaft Sprachwissenschaften Sprachphilosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Sprachphilosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Sprachwissenschaft Spracherwerb, Sprachentwicklung

Inhaltsverzeichnis

- 1: Alison Wray: Introduction: Conceptualizing Transition in an Evolving Field

- Part I: Making Ready for Language: Necessary, But Not Sufficient

- 2: W. Tecumseh Fitch: Comparative Vocal Production and the Evolution of Speech: Reinterpreting the Descent of the Larynx

- 3: Kazuo Okanoya: Sexual Display as a Syntactic Vehicle: The Evolution of Syntax in Birdsong and Human Language through Sexual Selection

- 4: H. S. Terrace: Serial Expertise and the Evolution of Language

- Part II: Internal Triggers to Transition: Genes, Processing, Culture, Gesture, and Technology

- 5: T. J. Crow: Protocadherin XY: A Candidate Gene for Cerebral Asymmetry and Language

- 6: Alison Wray: Dual Processing in Protolanguage: Performance Without Competence

- 7: Chris Knight: Language and Revolutionary Consciousness

- 8: Michael C. Corballis: Did Language Evolve from Manual Gestures?

- 9: Iain Davidson: The 'Finished Artefact Fallacy': Acheulean Handaxes and Language Origins

- Part III: External Triggers to Transition: Environment, Population, and Social Context

- 10: Derek Bickerton: Foraging Versus Social Intelligence in the Evolution of Protolanguage

- 11: Bradley Tonkes and Janet Wiles: Methodological Issues in Simulating the Emergence of Language

- 12: L. Steels, F. Kaplan, A. McIntyre, and J. Van Looveren: Crucial Factors in the Origins of Word-Meaning

- 13: Sonia Ragir: Constraints on Communities with Indigenous Sign Languages: Clues to the Dynamics of Language Genesis

- Part IV: The Onward Journey: Determining the Shape of Language

- 14: Robbins Burling: The Slow Growth of Language in Children

- 15: James R. Hurford: The Roles of Expression and Representation in Language Evolution

- 16: Morten H. Christiansen and Michelle R. Ellefson: Linguistic Adaptation Without Linguistic Constraints: The Role of Sequential Learning in Language Evolution

- 17: Frederick J. Newmeyer: Uniformitarian Assumptions and Language Evolution Research

- 18: Bernd Heine and Tania Kuteva: On the Evolution of Grammatical Forms

Über Autor(innen)

Alison Wray gained her BA and D.Phil. degrees from the University of York. She has worked in departments of music, linguistics, and communication, and her research focuses on three major areas: historical pronunciation for early music, formulaic language, and language evolution. She has published papers and chapters on all three areas, and her books include: The Focusing Hypothesis (1992), Projects in Linguistics (1998, with Trott and Bloomer) and Formulaic Language and the Lexicon (2002).