Why only us : language and evolution
(Book)
Author
Contributors
Chomsky, Noam, author.
Published
Cambridge, Massachusetts : The MIT Press, 2017.
Edition
First MIT Press paperback edition.
Physical Desc
215 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm
Status
Description
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Also in this Series
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Copies
Location | Call Number | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|
Northwest Reno Library - Adult Nonfiction | 401.93 BERWIC 2017 | Checked Out | May 24, 2024 |
More Details
Published
Cambridge, Massachusetts : The MIT Press, 2017.
Format
Book
Edition
First MIT Press paperback edition.
Language
English
Notes
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Description
''Berwick and Chomsky draw on recent developments in linguistic theory to offer an evolutionary account of language and humans' remarkable, species-specific ability to acquire it. "A loosely connected collection of four essays that will fascinate anyone interested in the extraordinary phenomenon of language." —New York Review of Books We are born crying, but those cries signal the first stirring of language. Within a year or so, infants master the sound system of their language; a few years after that, they are engaging in conversations. This remarkable, species-specific ability to acquire any human language—"the language faculty"—raises important biological questions about language, including how it has evolved. This book by two distinguished scholars—a computer scientist and a linguist—addresses the enduring question of the evolution of language. Robert Berwick and Noam Chomsky explain that until recently the evolutionary question could not be properly posed, because we did not have a clear idea of how to define "language" and therefore what it was that had evolved. But since the Minimalist Program, developed by Chomsky and others, we know the key ingredients of language and can put together an account of the evolution of human language and what distinguishes us from all other animals. Berwick and Chomsky discuss the biolinguistic perspective on language, which views language as a particular object of the biological world; the computational efficiency of language as a system of thought and understanding; the tension between Darwin's idea of gradual change and our contemporary understanding about evolutionary change and language; and evidence from nonhuman animals, in particular vocal learning in songbirds.''--,provided by amazon.
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Citations
APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)
Berwick, R. C., & Chomsky, N. (2017). Why only us: language and evolution (First MIT Press paperback edition.). The MIT Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Berwick, Robert C. and Noam, Chomsky. 2017. Why Only Us: Language and Evolution. The MIT Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Berwick, Robert C. and Noam, Chomsky. Why Only Us: Language and Evolution The MIT Press, 2017.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Berwick, Robert C.,, and Noam Chomsky. Why Only Us: Language and Evolution First MIT Press paperback edition., The MIT Press, 2017.
Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.
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