Though it is well-known that nothing makes sense in biology except in the light of evolution , in linguistics the received view is to reject the Darwinian approach. This book breaks the prevailing taboo and argues instead that linguistic features - speech sounds, grammatical distinctions and syntactic strategies - have followed an evolutionary course. Though variation exists and gratuitious changes can be found, an in-depth study clearly suggests that on the whole linguistic features have developed under two sets of ...
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Though it is well-known that nothing makes sense in biology except in the light of evolution , in linguistics the received view is to reject the Darwinian approach. This book breaks the prevailing taboo and argues instead that linguistic features - speech sounds, grammatical distinctions and syntactic strategies - have followed an evolutionary course. Though variation exists and gratuitious changes can be found, an in-depth study clearly suggests that on the whole linguistic features have developed under two sets of selections pressures: the pressure to reduce the neuromuscular cost, and the concomitant pressure to find ever-more functional alternatives. Moving on from language to writing, the author argues that the observed optimalization process also applies to the evolution of writing from hieroglyphs to alphabets. Both language and writing are indeed better understood in the light of evolution .
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Publisher:
Peter Lang Gmbh, Internationaler Verlag Der Wissenschaften
Published:
2002
Language:
English
Alibris ID:
17467000348
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Used, book plate inside front cover, some outer edges have minor scuffs, cover has light scratches, some outer pages have shelf wear, book content is in very good condition. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 316 p. Contains: Illustrations. Bochum Publications in Evolutionary Cultural Semiotics, 3.
