New essays on the origin of language / edited by Jürgen Trabant, Sean Ward.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Trabant, Jürgen.

Ward, Sean, 1963-

Series:

Trends in linguistics Studies and monographs ; 133.

Trends in linguistics. Studies and monographs ; 133

Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs [TiLSM] ; 133

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Language and languages--Origin.

Language and languages.

Physical Description:

vi, 258 p. : ill. (some col.).

Edition:

Reprint 2011

Place of Publication:

Berlin : New York : Mouton de Gruyter, 2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The contributions to this volume reflect the state of the art in the renewed discussion on the origin of language. Some of the most important specialists in the field - life scientists and linguists - primarily examine two aspects of the question: the origin of the language faculty and the evolution of the first language. At stake is the relation between nature and culture and between universality and historical particularity as well as cognition, communication, and the very essence of language.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: Introduction: New perspectives on an old academic question

Jiirgen Trabant 1

1. Biological aspects of the question

On the subcortical bases of the evolution of language

Philip Lieberman 21

Origin of the human language faculty: the language amoeba hypothesis

Eors Szathmdry 41

2. The first language

The apparent paradox of language evolution: can Universal Grammar be

explained by adaptive selection?

Manfred Bierwisch 55

Elementary forms of linguistic organisation

Wolfgang Klein 81

From potential to realisation: an episode in the origin of language

Bernard Comrie 103

Protothought had no logical names

James R. Hurford 119

The birth of rules

Jean Aitchison 133

How language changed the genes: toward an explicit account of the

evolution of language

Daniel Dor and Eva Jablonka 149

3. Beyond biolinguistics

The narration "instinct": signalling behaviour, communication,

and the selective value of storytelling

Volker Heeschen 179

Taxonomic controversies in the twentieth century

Merritt Ruhlen 197

The origin of origins: a play in five acts, with a prologue

im Himmel and an epilogue auf der Erde

Henri Meschonnic 215

References 229

Index 257.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [229]-255) and index.

ISBN:

9783110849080

3110849089

OCLC:

979585961