Approaches to the evolution of language: social and cognitive bases

Abstract

Introduction Michael Studdert-Kennedy, Chris Knight, and James R. Hurford Part I. Grounding Language Function in Social Cognition: 1. Introduction: Grounding language function in social cognition Chris Knight 2. On discontinuing the continuity-discontinuity debate Jean Aitchison 3. The origin of language and cognition Ib Ulbaek 4. Mimesis and the executive suite: missing links in language evolution Merlin Donald 5. Ritual/speech co-evolution: a 'selfish gene' solution to the problem of deception Chris Knight 6. Theory of mind and the evolution of language Robin Dunbar 7. Old wives' tales: the gossip hypothesis and the reliability of cheap signals Camilla Power 8. Altruism, status, and the origin of relevance Jean-Louis Dessalles 9. The evolution of language from social intelligence Robert Worden Part II. The Emergence of Phonology: 10. Introduction: the emergence of phonology Michael Studdert-Kennedy 11. Long call structure in apes as a possible precursor for language Maria Ujhelyi 12. Social sound-making as a precursor to spoken language John F. Locke 13. The particulate origins of language generativity: from syllable to gesture Michael Studdert-Kennedy 14. Evolution of the mechanisms of language output: comparative neurobiology of vocal and manual communication Peter MacNeilage 15. Systemic constraints and adaptive change in the formation of sound structure Bjoern Lindblom 16. The development of sound systems in human language Klaus J. Kohler 17. Synonymy avoidance, phonology and the origin of syntax Andrew Carstairs-McCarthy Part III. The Emergence of Syntax: 18. Introduction: the emergence of syntax James R. Hurford 19. On the supposed 'counterfunctionality' of universal grammar: some evolutionary implications Frederick J. Newmeyer 20. Language evolution and the minimalist program: the origins of syntax Robert C. Berwick 21. Catastrophic evolution: the case for a single step from protolanguage to full human language Derek Bickerton 22. Fitness and the selective adaptation of language Simon Kirby 23. Synthesizing the origins of language and meaning using co-evolution, self-organization and level formation Luc Steels 24. Computational simulations of the emergence of grammar John Batali.