The language puzzle

piecing together the six-million-year story of how words evolved

The language puzzle

piecing together the six-million-year story of how words evolved
Steven Mithen
Book - 2024

"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.

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Barcode Status Material Type CallNumber
37413322191729 Available Non-fiction 400 MITHEN
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mithen, Steven J. (Author)
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: New York : Basic Books, 2024.
Edition:First US edition.
Subjects:

MARC

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245 1 4 |a The language puzzle :  |b piecing together the six-million-year story of how words evolved /  |c Steven Mithen. 
246 3 |a Piecing together the 6 million year story of how words evolved 
250 |a First US edition. 
264 1 |a New York :  |b Basic Books,  |c 2024. 
264 4 |c Ã2024 
300 |a viii, 534 pages :  |b illustrations, maps ;  |c 25 cm. 
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504 |a Includes bibliographic references (pages 403-512) and index. 
505 0 |a 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. 
520 |a "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. 
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