An edition of The First Word (2007)

The First Word

The Search for the Origins of Language

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Last edited by IdentifierBot
August 6, 2010 | History
An edition of The First Word (2007)

The First Word

The Search for the Origins of Language

  • 7 Want to read
  • 1 Currently reading
  • 2 Have read

A compelling look at the quest for the origins of human language from an accomplished linguistLanguage is a distinctly human gift. However, because it leaves no permanent trace, its evolution has long been a mystery, and it is only in the last fifteen years that we have begun to understand how language came into being.The First Word is the compelling story of the quest for the origins of human language. The book follows two intertwined narratives. The first is an account of how language developed?how the random and layered processes of evolution wound together to produce a talking animal: us. The second addresses why scientists are at last able to explore the subject. For more than a hundred years, language evolution was considered a scientific taboo. Kenneally focuses on figures like Noam Chomsky and Steven Pinker, along with cognitive scientists, biologists, geneticists, and animal researchers, in order to answer the fundamental question: Is language a uniquely human phenomenon?The First Word is the first book of its kind written for a general audience. Sure to appeal to fans of Steven Pinker?s The Language Instinct and Jared Diamond?s Guns, Germs, and Steel, Kenneally?s book is set to join them as a seminal account of human history.

Publish Date
Publisher
Viking Adult
Language
English
Pages
357

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: The First Word
The First Word
2008, Penguin Group USA, Inc.
Electronic resource in English
Cover of: The First Word
The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language
May 27, 2008, Penguin Books
paperback
Cover of: The First Word
The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language
July 19, 2007, Viking Adult
Hardcover in English
Cover of: The first word
The first word
2007, Viking
in English

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Book Details


The Physical Object

Format
Hardcover
Number of pages
357
Dimensions
9.3 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
Weight
1.2 pounds

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL7641332M
ISBN 10
0670034908
ISBN 13
9780670034901
Library Thing
3231458
Goodreads
336341

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History

Download catalog record: RDF / JSON / OPDS | Wikipedia citation
August 6, 2010 Edited by IdentifierBot added LibraryThing ID
April 24, 2010 Edited by Open Library Bot Fixed duplicate goodreads IDs.
April 16, 2010 Edited by bgimpertBot Added goodreads ID.
April 14, 2010 Edited by Open Library Bot Linked existing covers to the edition.
April 29, 2008 Created by an anonymous user Imported from amazon.com record