Gesture and the Nature of Language

by David F. Armstrong, William C. Stokoe, Sherman E. Wilcox

Overview

This book proposes a radical alternative to dominant views of the evolution of language, in particular the origins of syntax. The authors draw on evidence from areas such as primatology, anthropology, and linguistics to present a groundbreaking account of the notion that language emerged through visible bodily action. Written in a clear and accessible style, Gesture and the Nature of Language will be indispensable reading for all those interested in the origins of language.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521467728
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	03/16/1995
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.39(h) x 0.71(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. The universe of gesture; 2. The nature of gesture; 3. Are signed and spoken languages differently organized?; 4. Is language modular?; 5. Do we have a genetically programmed drive to acquire language?; 6. Language from the body politic; 7. The origin of syntax: gesture as name and relation; 8. Language from the body: an evolutionary perspective; References; Index.

Editorial Reviews

'The authors display a broad and deep scholarship, often provocative and stimulating, but never tendentious, and happily free of the polemic tone that mars much linguistic argument.' Michael Studdert-Kennedy

'This book links studies of sign language and gesture with recent ideas about human evolution in a highly interesting way. It presents the important idea of 'semantic phonology' and suggests how syntax may have arisen from the inherent structure of practical actions.' Adam Kendon

From the Publisher