The Seeds of Speech: Language Origin and Evolution (Canto) [Paperback]

Jean Aitchison (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521785715 | ISBN-13: 978-0521785716 | Publication Date: May 8, 2000

Human 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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'We must be grateful to Jean Aitchison for so very readably assembling a good deal of recent work that might seem to hint at how language began ... liberally peppered with fetching quotations from all manner of sources, ranging from the cartoon character Charlie Brown through Lewis Carroll to Jonathan Swift's satirical novel Gulliver's Travels ... the author goes out of her way to offer a restful read to all comers.' The Times

'... communicate[s] often quite complex ideas about language in a straightforward, intelligible, and often witty way ... can be recommended to anyone with a curiosity about their language, where it came from, and how it reached its present state.' Child Language Teaching and Therapy

'She [Aitchison] carries her learning lightly and writes in a most comprehensible and often amusing way ... I wished I had been able to ask the many questions that the book raised in my mind but that is an indication of Professor Aitchison's ability to make the reader think.' The Expository Times

Book Description

Human 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 pre-historic jigsaw puzzle, in which numerous fragments of evidence must be assembled. Such evidence is pieced together from a mixture of linguistic and non-linguistic sources like evolution theory, archaeology, psychology, and anthropology. This is an accessible and wide-ranging introduction to the origins and evolution of human language.

Product Details

• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (May 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521785715
• ISBN-13: 978-0521785716
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #315,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars these seeds bore fruit, May 19, 2005

By 

Tom Reynolds (Wuhan, China) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Seeds of Speech: Language Origin and Evolution (Canto) (Paperback)

Aitchison has written another page turner. If this book doesn't keep you up until 3am desperate to finish, nothing will. It is divided into four sections: puzzles, origin, evolution, and diffusion. Puzzles deals with the theories as to how language began and developed. What was it originally for? and touches a little on the area of psycholinguistics. The second section deals with the issue of where it began on earth and how it spread out. The issues of the first chapter are expanded on and answers provided. The third section details the evolution of language based on what we currently know about language creation among the higher apes and among indigenous peoples who are exposed to foreign languages (pidgins, creoles). The last section deals with the diffusion we know today and with the idea of a universal grammar that would unite all human language under certain principles.

As always Aitchison has managed to present a lot of information succinctly and without clouding the issues. A good introduction to the subject.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cerebellums, Chimpanzees, and Chomsky, January 6, 2011

By 

Stephen Pellerine (In a bookshelf somewhere) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Seeds of Speech: Language Origin and Evolution (Canto) (Paperback)

I like this book a lot. It starts with a statement/question on the first page

A natural curiosity: How did language begin? It is an amazing thought and question and admittedly if you are reading this review you have an interest in language/linguistics and have probably thought of this before, but many people have not. Just ask a few. The conversations that follow will be intriguing.

Other chapters in the first part of the book ask: What is language for? Why do languages differ? And Is Language and Independent Skill? It looks at the cerebellum, chimpanzees, and Chomsky - so a well rounded book considering the neurology and cultural underpinnings of how language may have evolved and why.

For the MA student in linguistics or TESOL this is a very useful reference/read - don't hesitate. For average civilian you may need a peculiar interest in linguistics to find this riveting - or an interest in a range of topics offered here during life. It is a great book.