How can an infinite number of sentences be generated from one human mind? How did language evolve in apes? In this book Donald Loritz addresses these and other fundamental and vexing questions about language, cognition, and the human brain. He starts by tracing how evolution and natural adaptation selected certain features of the brain to perform communication functions, then shows how those features developed into designs for human language. The result -- what Loritz calls an adaptive grammar -- gives a unified explanation of language in the brain and contradicts directly (and controversially) the theory of innateness proposed by, among others, Chomsky and Pinker.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
Easy and pleasant to read * Stephanie Clarke, European Neurology, 2001 * Controversial, anti-establishment, readably swift, often funny, sometimes charming, and interdisciplinary in an area where there is a lot of earnest but still rudimentary bridge building going on. * Lise Menn, Department of Linguistics, University of Colorado * I find the author's scholarship sound and intriguing ... this unusual and integrative approach makes a contribution. * Theresa Hernandez, Psychology, University of Colorado *
Sprache
Verlagsort
Zielgruppe
Illustrationen
numerous line drawings and figures
Maße
Höhe: 229 mm
Breite: 152 mm
Dicke: 14 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-0-19-515124-4 (9780195151244)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Autor*in
Professor of LinguisticsProfessor of Linguistics, Georgetown University
1. Lought and Thanguage ; 2. Jones' Theory of Evolution ; 3. The Communicating Cell ; 4. The Society of Brain ; 5. Adaptive Resonance ; 6. Speech and Hearing ; 7. Speech Perception ; 8. One, Two, Three ; 9. Romiet nad Juleo ; 10. Null Movement ; 11. Truth and Consequences ; 12. What if Language is Learned by Brain Cells ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index
