基本説明
This book is the first to focus on the African origins of human language. It explores the origins of language and culture 250,000-150,000 years ago when modern humans evolved in Africa. Internationally renowned scholars address the fossil, genetic, and archaeological evidence and critically examine the ways it has been interpreted.
Full Description
This book is the first to focus on the African origins of human language. It explores the origins of language and culture 250,000-150,000 years ago when modern humans evolved in Africa. Scholars from around the world address the fossil, genetic, and archaeological evidence and critically examine the ways it has been interpreted. The book also considers parallel developments among Europe's Neanderthals and the contrasting outcomes for the two species. Following an extensive introduction contextualizing and linking the book's topics and approaches, fifteen chapters bring together many of the most significant recent findings and developments in modern human origins research. The fields represented by the authors include genetics, biology, behavioural ecology, linguistics, archaeology, cognitive science, and anthropology.
Contents
1. Introduction: Perspectives on the Evolution of Language in Africa ; 2. Earliest Personal Ornaments and Their Significance for the Origin of Language Debate ; 3. Reading the Artefacts: Gleaning Language Skils From the Middle Stone Age in Southern Africa ; 4. Red Ochre, Body Painting, and Language: Interpreting the Blombos Ochre ; 5. Theoretical Underpinnings of Inferences About Languae Evolution: The Syntax Used at Blombos Cave ; 6. Fossil Cues to the Evolution of Speech ; 7. Evidence Against a Genetic-Based Revolution in Language 50,000 Years Ago ; 8. A 'Language-Free' Explanation for Differences Between the European Middle and Upper Palaeolithic Record ; 9. The Importance of Archaeological Evidence for Investigating the Evolutionary Emergence of Language ; 10. Diversity if Languages, Genes, and the Language Faculty ; 11. How Varied Typologically are the Languages of Africa? ; 12. What Click Languages Can and Can't Tell us About Language Origins ; 13. Social Origins: Sharing, Exchange, Kinship ; 14. As Well as Words: Congo Pygmy Hunting, Mimicry, and Play ; 15. Sexual Selection Models for the Emergence of Symbolic Communication: Why They Should be Reversed ; 16. Language, Ochre, and the Rule of Law ; References ; Index
