The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language
by Christine Kenneally
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Book Summary Information
Author: Christine KenneallyEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-05-27
ISBN: 0143113747
Number of pages: 368
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Reviews of The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language
Book Review: Status of Linguistics
Summary: 5 Stars
The author provides a useful and interesting overview of the current directions in linguistics research. While I am in no sense scholarly competent in the subject, I'm interested, find it a fascinating effort to understand how Homo sapiens became what we are: the most widely distributed, numerous, and ecologically dominant species of our size ever to evolve on our world. By paths yet speculative, we acquired language, our completely novel capability for communicating ideas of great complexity, novelty and applicability in the physical world as well as the purely imaginary. As children we learn this skill without apparent effort or special tutelage. Throughout life we rely on language to learn whatever we are able about our world, even ourselves, what we can do and cannot, how we relate to others and take a role in a vastly complex society of our fellows. We use language to preserve and accumulate new knowledge and to exercise the power it provides over our environment and each other. Yet few of us even think about it, let alone understand much about how language works or why only one species has it. Language capability make us unique among the uncountable multitude of species that live or have lived in the half billion years complex life forms have inhabited the earth. No one knows what circumstances in our evolution led to its development. The author does a competent job of summarizing the lines of research being followed currently to learn more its origins, about the fundamental structures of our many different languages, the neurologic peculiarities that give us the ability to use it, about our differences and similarities with other creatures more limited in their ways of communicating. Her discussion is lucid, accessible to non specialists, interestingly presented. Any reader can learn a great deal from her discussion. I recommend the book highly.
Summary of The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language
An accessible exploration of a burgeoning new field: the incredible evolution of language
The first popular book to recount the exciting, very recent developments in tracing the origins of language, The First Word is at the forefront of a controversial, compelling new field. Acclaimed science writer Christine Kenneally explains how a relatively small group of scientists that include Noam Chomsky and Steven Pinker assembled the astounding narrative of how the fundamental process of evolution produced a linguistic ape?in other words, us. Infused with the wonder of discovery, this vital and engrossing book offers us all a better understanding of the story of humankind.
The first popular book to recount the exciting, very recent developments in tracing the origins of language, The First Word is at the forefront of a controversial, compelling new field. Acclaimed science writer Christine Kenneally explains how a relatively small group of scientists that include Noam Chomsky and Steven Pinker assembled the astounding narrative of how the fundamental process of evolution produced a linguistic ape?in other words, us. Infused with the wonder of discovery, this vital and engrossing book offers us all a better understanding of the story of humankind.
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