Gesture and the nature of language

Book

Gesture and the nature of language / David F. Armstrong, William F. Stokoe, Sherman E. Wilcox.

Armstrong, David F. (Author). Stokoe, William C. (Added Author). Wilcox, Sherman. (Added Author).

Summary:

This book proposes a radical alternative to dominant views of the evolution of language, and in particular the origins of syntax. The authors argue that manual and vocal communication developed in parallel, and that the basic elements of syntax are intrinsic to gesture. They draw on evidence from areas such as primatology, anthropology, and linguistics to present a groundbreaking account of the notion that language emerged through visible bodily action, and go on to examine the implications for linguistic theory and theories of the biological evolution of language.

Record details

ISBN: 0521462134
ISBN: 9780521462136
ISBN: 0521467721
ISBN: 9780521467728
Physical Description: ix, 260 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
Publisher: Cambridge ; Cambridge University Press, 1995.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:: Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-254) and indexes.
Formatted Contents Note:: Introduction: language from the body -- 1. The universe of gesture -- 2. The nature of gesture -- 3. Are signed and spoken languages differently organized? -- 4. Is language modular? -- 5. Do we have a genetically programmed drive to acquire language? -- 6. Language from the body politic -- 7. The origin of syntax: gesture as name and relation -- 8. Language from the body: an evolutionary perspective.