The language puzzle : piecing together the six-million-year story of how words evolved Cover Image

Book

The language puzzle : piecing together the six-million-year story of how words evolved / Steven Mithen.

Mithen, Steven, 1960- (author.).

Summary:

"The emergence of language began with the apelike calls of our earliest ancestors. Today, the world is home to thousands of complex languages. Yet exactly how, when, and why this evolution occurred has been one of the most enduring--and contentiously debated--questions in science. In The Language Puzzle, renowned archaeologist Steven Mithen puts forward a groundbreaking new account of the origins of language. Scientists have gained new insights into the first humans of 2.8 million years ago, and how numerous species flourished but only one, Homo sapiens, survives today. Drawing from this work and synthesizing research across archaeology, psychology, linguistics, genetics, neuroscience, and more, Mithen details a step-by-step explanation of how our human ancestors transitioned from apelike calls to words, and from words to language as we use it today. He explores how language shaped our cognition and vice versa; how metaphor advanced Homo sapiens' ability to formulate abstract concepts, develop agriculture, and--ultimately--shape the world. The result is a master narrative that builds bridges between disciplines, stuns with its breadth and depth, and spans millennia of societal development."--Inside flap.

Record details

ISBN: 1541605381
ISBN: 9781541605381 (hardcover)
Physical Description: viii, 534 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm.
Edition: First US edition.
Publisher: New York : Basic Books, 2024.
Copyright: ©2024

Content descriptions

General Note:	"Originally published in 2024 by Profile Books Ltd in Great Britain"--Title page verso.
Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographic references (pages 403-512) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	Preface -- Introduction: The puzzle of language -- A brief history of humankind -- Words and language -- Monkeys and apes -- Speaking and hearing -- Iconic and arbitrary words -- Making tools -- Lessons from an artificial language -- Finding and learning the meaning of words -- Fire -- Language and the brain -- The genetics of language -- Words keep changing -- Language, perception and thought -- Signs and symbols -- Conclusion: the evolution of language -- Figure sources -- Acknowledgments -- Bibliography -- Notes -- Index.