Toward an Evolutionary Biology of Language
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Toward an Evolutionary Biology of Language by Philip Lieberman
Evolution is opportunistic and has a historic logic of its own making. Existing structures and systems are adapted to serve new ends, often maintaining their original functions as well. Once a new behavior is in place, natural selection may then modify a structure to enhance that aspect of life; but some, or all, of the demands of the starting point may persist. .the brain mechanisms that yield human syntax ability also have evolutionary antecedents outside the domain of language. The subcortical basal ganglia structures of the human brain that are critical elements of the neural systems that allow us to comprehend the meaning or to form a sentence also continue to support neural circuits that regulate motor control as well as aspects of cognition, mood, and much else. The evolutionary record of the changes that yielded human language is evident in the morphology and physiology of the brain and body; disputes concerning the evolution of language follow from different readings of the text. Uncertainty arises because the text has become obscured; the species who possessed intermediate stage of language are extinct. Nonetheless, the situation is not hopeless.the present anatomy and physiology of the human brain and body reveal its evolutionary history, which, in turn, provides insights on the nature of the biologic bases of human cognition, language, and other aspects of human behavior. --from Chapter 1
Discussions of language tend to start from the assumption that it is a uniquely human trait without antecedent in the animal kingdomToward 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 *
Philip Lieberman is Fred M. Seed Professor of Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences and Professor of Anthropology at Brown University.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780674021846 |
| ISBN 10 | 0674021843 |
| Title | Toward an Evolutionary Biology of Language |
| Author | Philip Lieberman |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Harvard University Press |
| Year published | 2006-05-01 |
| Number of pages | 448 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |