Language is an essential part of what makes us human. Where did it come from? How did it develop into the complex system we know today? And what can an evolutionary perspective tell us about the nature of language and communication?
Drawing on a range of disciplines including cognitive science, linguistics, anthropology and evolutionary biology, Speaking Our Minds explains how language evolved and why we are the only species to communicate in this way.
Written by a rising star in the field, this groundbreaking book is required reading for anyone interested in understanding the origins and evolution of human communication and language.
Autorentext
Thom Scott-Phillips is a research fellow in Evolutionary and Cognitive Anthropology, at Durham University, UK.
Inhalt
1. Two Approaches to Communication
2. The Emergence of Communication Systems
3. Cognition and Communication
4. The Evolution of Ostensive Communication
5. Crossing the Rubicon
6. Evolutionary AdaptationEpilogue: The Big Questions Answered.