Why We Talk: The Evolutionary Origins of Language

by Jean-Louis Dessalles, James Grieve

Overview

Constant exchange of information is integral to our societies. Jean-Louis Dessalles explores how this came into being. He develops a view of language as an instrument for conversation rather than mental representation and thought. Presenting language evolution as a natural history of conversation, the author sheds light on the emergence of communication in the hominine congregations, as well as on the human nature.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199276233
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	03/01/2007
Series:	Oxford Studies in the Evolution of Language , #5
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 6.42(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Jean-Louis Dessalles is Associate Professor at the École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications, Paris, where he organized the Third International Conference on the Evolution of Language in 2000. He is author of L'ordinateur génétiqu, and Aux Origines du langage, both were published by Hermès-Science. He has published numerous articles in English and French on cognitive science, computer-assisted learning, communication, and language evolution.
James Grieve is an Emeritus Reader at The Australian National University, Canberra. He has translated works in language and linguistics, Lacour-Gayet's Histoire de l'Australie, and two parts of Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu. He has published a Dictionary of Contemporary French Connectors and two novels for Young Adults

Table of Contents

Part I Language in the Human History1. Animal and Human Communication2. Culture, Languages, and Language3. The Biological Roots of Language4. What the Origins of Language Were Not5. Language as an Evolutionary Curiosity6. The Local Optimality of LanguagePart II The Anatomy of Speech7. Putting Sounds Together8. Protolanguage9. The Mechanics of Syntax10. Syntax and Meaning11. The Structure of Meanings12. The Emergence of MeaningPart III The Ethology of Language13. Conversation Behaviour14. Language as Information15. The Birth of Argumentation16. An Evolutionary Paradox17. The Political Origins of Language18. EpilogueBibliographyIndex