Evolution of communicative flexibility : complexity, creativity, and adaptability in human and animal communication / edited by D Kimbrough Oller and Ulrike Griebel.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Oller, D. Kimbrough.

Griebel, Ulrike.

Series:

Vienna series in theoretical biology.

The Vienna series in theoretical biology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Communication.

Animal communication.

Language and languages--Origin.

Language and languages.

Human evolution.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (367 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, MA : MIT Press, c2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Experts investigate communicative flexibility (in both form and usage of signals) as the foundation of the evolution of complex communication systems, including human language.

Contents:

Contents; Series Foreword; Preface; Reference; I INTRODUCTION; 1 Signal and Functional Flexibility in the Emergence of Communication Systems: The Editors' Introduction; II CROSS-SPECIES PERSPECTIVES ON FORCES AND PATTERNS OF FLEXIBILITY IN COMMUNICATION; 2 Evolutionary Forces Favoring Communicative Flexibility; 3 Vocal Learning in Mammals with Special Emphasis on Pinnipeds; 4 Contextually Flexible Communication in Nonhuman Primates; 5 Constraints in Primate Vocal Production; 6 Contextual Sensitivity and Bird Song: A Basis for Social Life

III THE ROLE OF FLEXIBILITY AND COMMUNICATIVE COMPLEXITY IN THE EVOLUTION OF LANGUAGE7 Contextual Flexibility in Infant Vocal Development and the Earliest Stepsin the Evolution of Language; 8 Scaffolds for Babbling: Innateness and Learning in the Emergence of Contexually Flexible Vocal Production in Human Infants; 9 Cognitive Precursors to Language; 10 Language and Niche Construction; IV UNDERPINNINGS OF COMMUNICATIVE CONTROL: FOUNDATIONS FOR FLEXIBLE COMMUNICATION; 11 How Apes Use Gestures: The Issue of Flexibility

12 The Role of Play in the Evolution and Ontogeny of Contextually Flexible CommunicationV MODELING OF THE EMERGENCE OF COMPLEXITY AND FLEXIBILITY IN COMMUNICATION; 13 Detection and Estimation of Complexity and Contextual Flexibility in Nonhuman Animal Communication; 14 The Evolution of Flexibility in Bird Song; 15 Development and Evolution of Speech Sound Categories: Principles and Models; Contributors; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

OCLC-licensed vendor bibliographic record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0-262-30991-2

0-262-28102-3

1-4356-7721-8

OCLC:

273057727