The Gestural Origin of Language

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Psychology, Child & Adolescent, Child Development, Social Psychology
Cover of the book The Gestural Origin of Language by David F. Armstrong, Sherman E. Wilcox, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: David F. Armstrong, Sherman E. Wilcox ISBN: 9780190290016
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: April 19, 2007
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: David F. Armstrong, Sherman E. Wilcox
ISBN: 9780190290016
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: April 19, 2007
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

In The Gestural Origin of Language, Sherman Wilcox and David Armstrong use evidence from and about sign languages to explore the origins of language as we know it today. According to their model, it is sign, not spoken languages, that is the original mode of human communication. The authors demonstrate that modern language is derived from practical actions and gestures that were increasingly recognized as having the potential to represent, and hence to communicate. In other words, the fundamental ability that allows us to use language is our ability to use pictures or icons, rather than linguistic symbols. Evidence from the human fossil record supports the authors' claim by showing that we were anatomically able to produce gestures and signs before we were able to speak fluently. Although speech evolved later as a secondary linguistic communication device that eventually replaced sign language as the primary mode of communication, speech has never entirely replaced signs and gestures. As the first comprehensive attempt to trace the origin of grammar to gesture, this volume will be an invaluable resource for students and professionals in psychology, linguistics, and philosophy.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In The Gestural Origin of Language, Sherman Wilcox and David Armstrong use evidence from and about sign languages to explore the origins of language as we know it today. According to their model, it is sign, not spoken languages, that is the original mode of human communication. The authors demonstrate that modern language is derived from practical actions and gestures that were increasingly recognized as having the potential to represent, and hence to communicate. In other words, the fundamental ability that allows us to use language is our ability to use pictures or icons, rather than linguistic symbols. Evidence from the human fossil record supports the authors' claim by showing that we were anatomically able to produce gestures and signs before we were able to speak fluently. Although speech evolved later as a secondary linguistic communication device that eventually replaced sign language as the primary mode of communication, speech has never entirely replaced signs and gestures. As the first comprehensive attempt to trace the origin of grammar to gesture, this volume will be an invaluable resource for students and professionals in psychology, linguistics, and philosophy.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Empire of Extinction by David F. Armstrong, Sherman E. Wilcox
Cover of the book The Naked Result by David F. Armstrong, Sherman E. Wilcox
Cover of the book Aging: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by David F. Armstrong, Sherman E. Wilcox
Cover of the book Analysis of the Cognitive Interview in Questionnaire Design by David F. Armstrong, Sherman E. Wilcox
Cover of the book Keeping Faith with the Constitution by David F. Armstrong, Sherman E. Wilcox
Cover of the book Science and Partial Truth by David F. Armstrong, Sherman E. Wilcox
Cover of the book Visions of Awakening Space and Time by David F. Armstrong, Sherman E. Wilcox
Cover of the book Kodaly in the Kindergarten Classroom by David F. Armstrong, Sherman E. Wilcox
Cover of the book A Clinician's Guide to Learning Disabilities by David F. Armstrong, Sherman E. Wilcox
Cover of the book Recorded Music in American Life by David F. Armstrong, Sherman E. Wilcox
Cover of the book Religious Freedom in Islam by David F. Armstrong, Sherman E. Wilcox
Cover of the book Strategic Leadership by David F. Armstrong, Sherman E. Wilcox
Cover of the book The Old World's New World by David F. Armstrong, Sherman E. Wilcox
Cover of the book Mendelssohn:A Life in Music by David F. Armstrong, Sherman E. Wilcox
Cover of the book Cosmopolitan Political Thought by David F. Armstrong, Sherman E. Wilcox
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy