The Seeds of Speech:Language Origin and Evolution Human language
is a weird communication system:it has more in common with birdsong
than withthe calls of other primates.Jean Aitchison explores the
origins of human language and how it has evolved.She likens the
search to a vast prehistoric jigsaw puzzle,in which numerous
fragments of evidence must be assembled.Such evidence is pieced
together from a mixture of linguistic and non-linguistic sources
like evolution theory,archaeology,psychology,and anthropology.The
Seeds of Speech is an accessible and wide-ranging introduction to
the origins and evolution of human language.
We must be grateful to Jean Aitchison for so very readably
assembling a good deal of recent work that might seem to hint at
how language began...the author goes out of her way to offer a
restful read to all comers."