Ｒ．ダンバー『ことばの起源：猿の毛づくろい、人のゴシップ』（原書） Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language

Dunbar, Robin

Faber & Faber（1998/01発売）

• 製本 Paperback:紙装版/ペーパーバック版／ページ数 240 p.
• 商品コード 9780571173976
• DDC分類 306.4

基本説明

猿の集団が大きくなって「毛づくろい」ができなくなったとき、それに代わるコミュニケーション手段として生まれたのが人間の「ゴシップ＝言語」だった―生物学、脳生理学、人類学、心理学などふまえ５００万年を鳥瞰する。
Did mankind evolve unusually large brains simply in order to gossip? Is language just a form of verbal grooming?

Full Description

Arguing that gossiping is vital to a society, and that there is no such thing as "idle" gossip, this book disputes the assumption that language developed in male-male relationships. The author believes that, on the contrary, language evolved among women, and contends that, although men are just as likely to natter as women, women gossip more about other people, thus strengthening the female-female relationships that underpin society.