Language & species /

Bickerton builds here on some of the hypotheses concerning the evolution of human language that he advanced in his earlier Roots of Language (1981). As in that work, he grapples with the paradox of continuity in language, which arises from its unique association with humans in the context of evolutionary links between humans and other life forms. He focuses on language as representation rather than communication in order to explore links and adaptations. In developing his model for protolanguage, he reads anew data from his own expertise in creoles as well as current work on language acquisition and on language and apes. His explanations of formal linguistics will be complex for many readers, although his writing in general is accessible, thoughtful, personable, and witty. In some cases, he seems to cut through heated, yet muddled, debates in the literature; other hypotheses will evoke more response, especially in final chapters on consciousness and the future. Will be informative to undergraduate college students, while provocative to specialists in linguistics, anthropology, and human evolution. -G. W. McDonogh, New College of the University of South Florida

How did language originate? Addressing a question that has long vexed scientists, Bickerton proposes a radical new theory of why only humans speak. After conceding that a vast gulf separates human speech from all observed animal behaviors, the author tries to span that gulf with a two-part bridge. A hypothetical "proto-language" (comparable to the primitive utterances of children or the symbolic expressions of trained apes) constitutes the first section of this bridge crossed by hominids perhaps two million years ago. In a second great leap, a fortuitous mutation effected a change in brain structure, permitting the emergence of complex, grammatical speech. Even if this theory strikes many readers as too conjectural to be convincing, Bickerton's investigation does clarify the structure of language and its function in creating a distinctively human consciousness. Although daunting for casual readers, this is a book sure to stimulate discussion among those with serious interest in the topic. Notes, references, and index. ~--Bryce ~Christensen