
Toward an Evolutionary Biology of Language
Philip Lieberman(Author)
The Belknap Press
Published on 1. May 2006
Book
Hardback
448 pages
978-0-674-02184-6 (ISBN)
Description
In this forcefully argued book, the leading evolutionary theorist of language draws on evidence from evolutionary biology, genetics, physical anthropology, anatomy, and neuroscience, to provide a framework for studying the evolution of human language and cognition.
Philip Lieberman argues forcibly that the widely influential theories of language's development, advanced by Chomskian linguists and cognitive scientists, especially those that postulate a single dedicated language "module," "organ," or "instinct," are inconsistent with principles and findings of evolutionary biology and neuroscience. He argues that the human neural system in its totality is the basis for the human language ability, for it requires the coordination of neural circuits that regulate motor control with memory and higher cognitive functions. Pointing out that articulate speech is a remarkably efficient means of conveying information, Lieberman also highlights the adaptive significance of the human tongue.
Fully human language involves the species-specific anatomy of speech, together with the neural capacity for thought and movement. In Lieberman's iconoclastic Darwinian view, the human language ability is the confluence of a succession of separate evolutionary developments, jury-rigged by natural selection to work together for an evolutionarily unique ability.
Philip Lieberman argues forcibly that the widely influential theories of language's development, advanced by Chomskian linguists and cognitive scientists, especially those that postulate a single dedicated language "module," "organ," or "instinct," are inconsistent with principles and findings of evolutionary biology and neuroscience. He argues that the human neural system in its totality is the basis for the human language ability, for it requires the coordination of neural circuits that regulate motor control with memory and higher cognitive functions. Pointing out that articulate speech is a remarkably efficient means of conveying information, Lieberman also highlights the adaptive significance of the human tongue.
Fully human language involves the species-specific anatomy of speech, together with the neural capacity for thought and movement. In Lieberman's iconoclastic Darwinian view, the human language ability is the confluence of a succession of separate evolutionary developments, jury-rigged by natural selection to work together for an evolutionarily unique ability.
Reviews / Votes
Discussions of language tend to start from the assumption that it is a uniquely human trait without antecedent in the animal kingdom. Toward an Evolutionary Biology of Language forcefully challenges this assumption. Lieberman brings together a wide range of evidence from comparative anatomy, physiology, neurobiology, genetics, neuropsychology, and linguistics to illuminate the protolinguistic abilities in other species. -- Joseph T. Devlin * Science *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge, Mass.
United States
Publishing group
Harvard University Press
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
60 line illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-674-02184-6 (9780674021846)
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 Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Philip Lieberman
Toward an Evolutionary Biology of Language
E-Book
06/2006
Harvard University Press
€182.99
Available for download
Person
Philip Lieberman is Fred M. Seed Professor of Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences and Professor of Anthropology at Brown University.
Content
Preface 1. The Mark of Evolution 2. Primitive and Derived Features of Language 3. The Singularity of Speech 4. The Neural Bases of Language 5. Motor Control and the Evolution of Language 6. The Gift of Tongue 7. Linguistic Issues 8. Where We Might Go Notes References Index