Language and Species by Derek Bickerton

Language and Species by Derek Bickerton

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Language and Species by Derek Bickerton

Language and Species presents the most detailed and well-documented scenario to date of the origins of language. Drawing on "living linguistic fossils" such as "ape talk," the "two-word" stage of small children, and pidgin languages, and on recent discoveries in paleoanthropology, Bickerton shows how a primitive "protolanguage" could have offered Homo erectus a novel ecological niche. He goes on to demonstrate how this protolanguage could have developed into the languages we speak today. "You are drawn into [Bickerton's] appreciation of the dominant role language plays not only in what we say, but in what we think and, therefore, what we are."—Robert Wright, New York Times Book Review "The evolution of language is a fascinating topic, and Bickerton's Language and Species is the best introduction we have."—John C. Marshall, Nature
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780226046112
ISBN 10 0226046117
Title Language and Species
Author Derek Bickerton
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Year published 1992-04-15
Number of pages 305
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.