| 000 | 02448nam a22001697a 4500 | ||
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| 005 | 20250702110954.0 | ||
| 008 | 250702b |||||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d | ||
| 020 | _a978-0-521-78571-6 | ||
| 082 |
_223 _a401 _bAIT |
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| 100 | _aAitchison, Jean | ||
| 245 |
_aThe Seeds of Speech: _bLanguage Origin and Evolution/ _cJean Aitchison |
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| 260 |
_aNew York: _bCambridge University Press, _c2000. |
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| 300 |
_axii, 282p. ; _bsoftbound _c13.5*21 cm. |
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| 505 | _a1. A natural curiosity: how did language begin? 2. A peculiar habit: what is language for? 3. The bother at Babel: why do languages differ so much? 4. Distinct duties: is language an independent skill? Part II. Origin: 5. The family tree: the evolutionary background 6. A devious mind: the basic requirements 7. Broken air: inherited ingredients 8. Small beginnings: first steps Part III. Evolution: 9. The secong word: the emergence of rules 10. The tower of speech: expansion 11. Time travelling: extra attachments 12. Rebuilding on the high seas: keeping going Part IV. Diffusion: 13. The widening circle: moving outwards 14. The hidden core: the hunt for universals 15. The real magician: ruling the rules 16. Unweaving the rainbow: separating the strands 17. The endless stair: past and future Symbols used in the text Notes and suggestions for further reading References Index. | ||
| 520 | _aHuman language is a weird communication system: it has more in common with birdsong than with the calls of other primates. Jean Aitchison explores the origins of human language and how it has evolved. She likens the search to a vast prehistoric jigsaw puzzle, in which numerous fragments of evidence must be assembled. Such evidence is pieced together from a mixture of linguistic and nonlinguistic sources such as evolution theory, archaeology, psychology, and anthropology. This is an accessible and wide-ranging introduction to the origins and evolution of human language. Jean Aitchison has published widely on topics relating to human language and is well-known for her accessible, non-technical writing style; her books are widely read outside academia Huge interest in the origin and evolution of language; this book pulls together the evidence (linguistic, anthropological, psychological, sociological) more extensively than any other Pre-Canto edition of this book has sold well; publishing in Canto should widen readership still further | ||
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_2ddc _cBK |
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_c10102 _d10102 |
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