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- catalog abstract "Human language is a weird communication system: it has more in common with birdsong than with the calls of other primates. In this clear and non-technical overview, Jean Aitchison explores why it evolved and how it developed. She likens the search to a vast prehistoric jigsaw puzzle, in which numerous fragments of evidence must be assembled, some external to language, such as evolution theory and animal communication; others internal, including child language, pidgins and creoles, and language change. She explains why language is so strange, outlines recent theories about its origin, and discusses possible paths of evolution. Finally, she considers what holds all languages together, and prevents them from becoming unlearnably different from one another.".
- catalog contributor b9189665.
- catalog created "1996.".
- catalog date "1996".
- catalog date "1996.".
- catalog dateCopyrighted "1996.".
- catalog description "A natural curiosity: how did language begin? -- A peculiar habit: what is language for? -- The bother at Babel: why do languages differ so much? -- Distinct duties: is language an independent skill? --The family tree: the evolutionary background -- A devious mind: the basic requirements -- Broken air: inherited ingredients -- Small beginnings: first steps -- The second word: the emergence of rules -- The tower of speech: expansion -- Time travelling: extra attachments -- Rebuilding on the high seas: keeping going -- The widening circle: moving outwards --The hidden core: the hunt for universals -- The real magician: ruling the rules -- Unweaving the rainbow: separating the strands -- The endless stair: past and future.".
- catalog description "Human language is a weird communication system: it has more in common with birdsong than with the calls of other primates. In this clear and non-technical overview, Jean Aitchison explores why it evolved and how it developed. She likens the search to a vast prehistoric jigsaw puzzle, in which numerous fragments of evidence must be assembled, some external to language, such as evolution theory and animal communication; others internal, including child language, pidgins and creoles, and language change.".
- catalog description "Includes bibliographical references (p. 245-267) and index.".
- catalog description "She explains why language is so strange, outlines recent theories about its origin, and discusses possible paths of evolution. Finally, she considers what holds all languages together, and prevents them from becoming unlearnably different from one another.".
- catalog extent "xii, 281 p. :".
- catalog identifier "0521462460".
- catalog identifier "0521467934 (pbk.)".
- catalog isPartOf "Cambridge approaches to linguistics".
- catalog issued "1996".
- catalog issued "1996.".
- catalog language "eng".
- catalog publisher "Cambridge [England] ; New York, NY, USA : Cambridge University Press,".
- catalog subject "401 20".
- catalog subject "Language acquisition.".
- catalog subject "Language and languages Origin.".
- catalog subject "Linguistic change.".
- catalog subject "P116 .A38 1996".
- catalog tableOfContents "A natural curiosity: how did language begin? -- A peculiar habit: what is language for? -- The bother at Babel: why do languages differ so much? -- Distinct duties: is language an independent skill? --The family tree: the evolutionary background -- A devious mind: the basic requirements -- Broken air: inherited ingredients -- Small beginnings: first steps -- The second word: the emergence of rules -- The tower of speech: expansion -- Time travelling: extra attachments -- Rebuilding on the high seas: keeping going -- The widening circle: moving outwards --The hidden core: the hunt for universals -- The real magician: ruling the rules -- Unweaving the rainbow: separating the strands -- The endless stair: past and future.".
- catalog title "The seeds of speech : language origin and evolution / Jean Aitchison.".
- catalog type "text".