The Talking Ape: How Language Evolved

by Robbins Burling

Overview

Humans never run out of things to say. We explain, we cajole, we gossip, and we flirt—all with the help of language. But how in the space of several million years did we evolve from an ordinary primate that that could not talk to the strange human primate that can't shut up?
In this fascinating, thought-provoking book, Robbins Burling presents the most convincing account of the origins of language ever published, shedding new light on how speech affects the way we think, behave, and relate to each other, and offering us a deeper understanding of the nature of language itself. Burling argues that comprehension, rather than production, was the driving force behind the evolution of language—we could understand words before we could produce them. As he develops this insight, he investigates the first links between signs, sounds, and meanings and explores the beginnings of vocabulary and grammar. He explains what the earliest forms of communication are likely to have been, how they worked, and why they were deployed, suggesting that when language began it was probably much more dependent on words like "poke" or "whoosh," words whose sounds have a close association with what they refer to. Only gradually did language develop the immense vocabulary it has today. Burling also examines the qualities of mind and brain needed to support the operations of language and the selective advantages they offered those able to use them.
Written in a crystal-clear style, constantly enlivened by flashes of wit and humor, here is the definitive account on the birth of language.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199214037
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	05/17/2007
Series:	Oxford Studies in the Evolution of Language
Edition description:	New
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	7.60(w) x 5.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Robbins Burling is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and Linguistics at the University of Michigan.

Table of Contents

1. In The Beginning2. Smiles, Winks, and Words3. Truths and Lies4. The Mind and Language5. Signs and Symbols6. Icons Gained and Icons Lost7. From A Few Sounds To Many Words8. Syntax: Wired and Learned9. Step By Step To Grammar10. Power, Gossip, and Seduction11. What Has Language Done To Us?

Editorial Reviews

"This book contains some good sense, as well as providing a broad overview of the field." —Language

"A fascinating book on the origins of language, how speech affects the way we think, behave, and relate, and how the ape that preceded us learned to talk. This is an important and informative book." —Journal of American Culture

"Burling brings together a wide array of relevant material as well as pertinent contributions from his own fieldwork. The book provides thorough coverage of the topic and the debates surrounding it and is written in a personalized, conversational style that makes for entertaining as well as thought provoking reading. Regardless of one's own area of specialization or personal viewpoint on the various debates, the book is engaging reading because Robbins Burling's passion for his topic shines through." —American Journal of Physical Anthropology

From the Publisher