eShop USA > Books > Eve Spoke: Human Language and Human Evolution
Eve Spoke: Human Language and Human Evolution
List Price: $25.00Our Price: $19.00 You Save: $6.00 (24%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 401
EAN: 9780393040890
ISBN: 0393040895
Label: W. W. Norton & Company
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 192
Publication Date: 1998-01
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Studio: W. W. Norton & Company
Related Items: Featured Listmania!
Editorial Review:
Speaking, like breathing, is something we do every day without thinking. And just like breathing, speech is the result of a complicated dance between neural mechanisms and muscle responses. Although everybody makes use of language--in some form or another--little is actually understood about what it is or how it began. In Eve Spoke, Philip Lieberman, a professor of cognitive science and linguistics, outlines his own theories about this mysterious subject. From development of the human vocal tract to the latest models of where language skills occur in the brain, Lieberman covers the physical aspects of producing speech. He then tries to explain just how the brain puts it all together to create meaning from sound.
If we were to summon the first man and woman from their prehistoric graves, what would they--indeed, what could they--say to us? The human imagination never ceases to be captivated by the quest for its own roots. Who were our ancestors? In the evolutionary clash of brains and brawn, what was it that prevailed and made us, Homo sapiens, uniquely human? Today scientists cite language as the distinctively human feature. But what is language--a sign, a grunt? a sound with collective symbolic meaning? This remarkable book seeks to set the record straight with a critical refinement of the language theory, providing us for the first time with a scientific explanation of how Eve came to speak at all. Wrestling with the age-old question of why such a large gulf exists between humans and other animals, Philip Lieberman mines both the fossil record and modern neuroscientific techniques to chart the development of the anatomy and brain mechanisms necessary for human language as we know it. Eschewing any notion of a language gene or instinct, he pursues instead an evolutionary path in which environment acts on a biological capacity to reveal the interconnectedness of systems that make us most human: precise motor skills, speech, language, and complex thought. Eve Spoke challenges the dominant scientific theories of language's origins and forges a new understanding of the role of language in our evolution. Lieberman interweaves his decades of research in anthropology, neuroscience, psychology, and linguistics with fascinating studies and playful discoveries on such disparate matters as the demise of the Neanderthals, the limits of chimp language, the chinchilla's share of the language gene, and Mt. Everest's contribution to language research.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Why and how mankind evolved the plumbing required for speech
A good complement to Robbins Burling's "The Talking Ape," Stephen Pinker's "The Language Instinct," and John McWhorter's "The Power of Babel." Each has its own niche. Pinker approaches the question from the structure of the brain, and the structure of language itself. McWhorter is a linguist; he talks about how languages are put together.
Lieberman and Burling occupy themselves with the evolutionary question. How did language come about? Their works complement each other quite nicely. ... Read More
Rating:  - Thus Spake Eve and Lieberman!
I give this work a "C" because I expected more from a man who has spent most of his life engaged in the study of the evolution of human speech and language. This book is loosely constructed, as if the author dictated a few paragraphs over coffee each morning, with little apparent direction in mind other than discussing the overall, global idea that language and speech have evolved along with the anatomy of the head and neck. That's ok, however. This book is geared more to the average reader with ... Read More
Rating: - and adam listened..
Lieberman's book is concise, well-written, and fascinating. While the book may be intended for a popular audience, some knowledge of basic anatomy and neuroscience is necessary in order to fully appreciate his ideas. The organization of topics is refreshingly casual, unsuitable for textbook writing, but perfectly appropriate for this particular work. A quick, enjoyable, and informative read. Great preparation for a cocktail party.
Rating: - where's the thesis?
Given how short this book is, it's surprising how poorly organized it is. There's a lot of interesting information in here but the job of turning Lieberman's incoherence into a reasoned thesis is left entirely up to the reader. This is really a shame, since some of Lieberman's arguments and cited studies really are interesting -- but in that sense _Eve Spoke_ is more of a limited reference tool than a book. I've read this book twice, and the content is still pretty fuzzy. I'm just thankful it wasn't assigned ... Read More
Rating:  - a disappointing and frustrating read
Philip Lieberman tries desperatly to make this book accessible and ultimately fails. Although his knowledge is extensive and most likely fascinating under other circumstances , I found his "proof" so extremely unorganized and out of place , that I ultimately stopped caring . All 151 pages of this book were pure torture .
Related Categories:
| |
 |
