Language Origins Perspectives on Evolution

About this book

Review of latest developments in this fascinating cross-disciplinary research area.

Contents

1 Introduction PART I Evolution of Speech and Speech Sounds: How did spoken language emerge? Michael Studdert-Kennedy: Introduction to Part I: How did links between perception and production emerge for spoken language? 2 Michael Arbib: The Mirror System Hypothesis: How did protolanguage evolve? 3 Michael Studdert-Kennedy: How Did Language go Discrete? 4 Pierre-Yves Oudeyer: From Holistic to Discrete Speech Sounds: The blind snowflake maker hypothesis 5 Bart de Boer: Infant-Directed Speech and Evolution of Language PART II Evolution of Grammar: How did syntax and morphology emerge? Maggie Tallerman: Introduction to Part II: Protolanguage and the Development of Complexity 6 Maggie Tallerman: Initial Syntax and Modern Syntax: Did the clause evolve from the syllable? 7 Dana McDaniel: The Potential Role of Production in the Evolution of Syntax 8 Andrew Carstairs-McCarthy: The Evolutionary Origin of Morphology 9 Bernard Comrie and Tania Kuteva: The Evolution of Grammatical Structures and 'Functional Need' Explanations 10 Bradley Franks and Kate Rigby: Deception and Mate Selection: Some implications for relevance and the evolution of language PART III Analogous and Homologous Traits: What can we learn from other species? Alison Wray: Introductin to Part III: The Broadening Scope of Animal Communication Research 11 Irene Maxine Pepperberg: An Avian Perspective on Language Evolution: Implications of simultaneous development of vocal and physical object combinations by a Grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) 12 Klaus Zuberb#hler: Linguistic Prerequisites in the Primate Lineage PART IV Learnability and Diversity: How did languages emerge and diverge? James Hurford: Introduction to Part IV: Computer Modelling Widens the Focus of Language Study 13 Henry Brighton, Simon Kirby, and Kenny Smith: Cultural Selection for Learnability: Three principles underlying the view that language adapts to be learnable 14 Ted Briscoe: Coevolution of the Language Faculty and Language(s) With Decorrelated Encodings 15 Matthew Roberts, Luca Onnis, and Nick Chater: Acquisition and Evolution of Quasi-regular Languages: Two puzzles for the price of one 16 Zach Solan, Eytan Ruppin, David Horn, and Shimon Edelman: Evolution of Language Diversity: Why fitness counts 17 Andrew D. M. Smith: Mutual Exclusivity: Communicative success despite conceptual divergence

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