Feeling, Thinking, and Talking
How the Embodied Brain Shapes Everyday Communication
Published on 20. March 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
363 pages
978-1-108-96967-3 (ISBN)
Description
The way the brain, body, and mind interact with social structure to shape communication has so far not received the attention it deserves. This book addresses this gap by providing a novel account of communication as a social, biological and neurological force. Combining theories from communication studies and psycholinguistics, and drawing on biological and evolutionary perspectives, it shows how communication is inherently both biological and social, and that language and the neural systems that support it have evolved in response to a complex social environment. It introduces a clear set of terms based on current research, and illustrates key concepts using real-life examples from everyday conversation - speaking to a number of current debates around the evolutionary and biological basis of language, and the relationship between language, cognition, and environment. Thought provoking and engaging, it will change the way we think about the relationship between communication and cognition.
Reviews / Votes
'Feeling, Thinking, and Talking is an enlightening piece of work on the nature of communication, language, and cognition, written in accessible but, at the same time, expert language, constituting welcome reading material for both students and scholars in the fields of language and communication studies.' Ana Cristina Pelosi, Associate Professor of Linguistics, Federal University of Ceara - Brazil 'Feeling, Thinking, and Talking takes a unique and integrative approach to the mechanisms, functions, and evolution of human communication ... Served by a powerful use of thought-provoking footnotes, systematic indexing, and up-to-date references, this thorough conceptual analysis will resonate well with a broad readership, including ethologists, psycholinguists, neuroscientists, and evolutionary biologists ... Recommended.' J-B. Leca, ChoiceMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
485 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-96967-3 (9781108969673)
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
Book
09/2022
Cambridge University Press
€129.50
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
L. David Ritchie is Professor of Communication at Portland State University. He is the author of four books, including three on metaphor theory, and has contributed extensively to journals and edited volumes.
Content
Preface: The genesis and intentions of this book; 1. The embodiment perspective; 2. Homeostasis: Perception, feelings, and signaling; 3. How language and conversation evolved; 4. Thinking: Using and understanding language; 5. Emotion; 6. Signals; 7. Context; 8. Relationships and groups; 9. Conversation; 10. Play; 11. Metaphor; 12. Humor and irony; 13. Stories; 14. Media technology, social reality, and discourse; 15. Recap: Homeostasis and communication.