"This book reconstructs what the earliest grammars might have been and shows how they could have led to the languages of modern humankind. "Like other biological phenomena, language cannot be fully understood without reference to its evolution, whether proven or hypothesized," wrote Talmy Giv???n in 2002. As the languages spoken 8,000 years ago were typologically much the same as they are today and as no direct evidence exists for languages before then, evolutionary linguists are at a disadvantage compared to their ...
Read More
"This book reconstructs what the earliest grammars might have been and shows how they could have led to the languages of modern humankind. "Like other biological phenomena, language cannot be fully understood without reference to its evolution, whether proven or hypothesized," wrote Talmy Giv???n in 2002. As the languages spoken 8,000 years ago were typologically much the same as they are today and as no direct evidence exists for languages before then, evolutionary linguists are at a disadvantage compared to their counterparts in biology. Bernd Heine and Tania Kuteva seek to overcome this obstacle by combining grammaticalization theory, one of the main methods of historical linguistics, with work in animal communication and human evolution. The questions they address include: do the modern languages derive from one ancestral language or from more than one? What was the structure of language like when it first evolved? And how did the properties associated with modern human languages arise, in particular syntax and the recursive use of language structures? The authors proceed on the assumption that if language evolution is the result of language change then the reconstruction of the former can be explored by deploying the processes involved in the latter. Their measured arguments and crystal-clear exposition will appeal to all those interested in the evolution of language, from advanced undergraduates to linguists, cognitive scientists, human biologists, and archaeologists.
Read Less
Add this copy of The Genesis of Grammar: a Reconstruction to cart. $50.00, like new condition, Sold by Abacus Bookshop rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Pittsford, NY, UNITED STATES, published 2010 by Oxford University Press.
Add this copy of The Genesis of Grammar: a Reconstruction (Oxford to cart. $83.98, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Oxford University Press.
Add this copy of The Genesis of Grammar: a Reconstruction (Oxford to cart. $85.36, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Oxford University Press.
Add this copy of The Genesis of Grammar: A Reconstruction to cart. $98.38, new condition, Sold by Booksplease rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Southport, MERSEYSIDE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2007 by Oxford University Press, USA.
Add this copy of The Genesis of Grammar: a Reconstruction (Oxford to cart. $156.07, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Oxford University Press.
Add this copy of The Genesis of Grammar: A Reconstruction to cart. $244.92, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2007 by Oxford University Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Print on demand Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 438 p. Contains: Unspecified, Tables, black & white. Oxford Studies in the Evolution of Language.
Good as an introduction to grammaticalization theory, excellent as an annotated bibliography on literature on the evolution of language, including animal studies, pidgins, as well as historical and theoretical linguistics. I would recommend the book to someone looking for one of these. But does not actually construct a theory of the origins of grammar in human languages.
