The Origin and Diversification of Language: (Distributed for the California Academy of Science)

The Origin and Diversification of Language is a splendid compendium of recent inquiries into the evolution of language, with eight excellent papers that demonstrate the highest scientific tradition. For persons interested in the origin of language, this is a necessary, fascinating, and well-written set of reports. I have rarely been as excited as when I read this book. For non-professionals the work is entirely accessible; for professionals the work is utterly respectable. The reports were first presented in 1997 at a symposium hosted by the California Academy of Science, then edited and peer reviewed. The first three compare human and animal communication and language, and include discussion of whether animal sounds have meaning (Marler), the rise of speech and language (Aiello), and the growth of brain size in primates and its relation to language production (R. Martin). Alex Martin's report on how the brain processes visual data had this reader shouting "Wow." For anyone interested in brain function, the organization of vision, the way the brain constructs the composite map of the world, AI, or the topic of human reality, this report is not to be missed. The clarity of his work is reflected in the clarity of his writing. The final four papers move into the discussion of culture. Mellers describes the Middle/Upper Paleolithic transformation in the evolution of humans. Pinker submitted the only disappointing but mercifully brief report which is a recap of work he has published elsewhere. Nichols looks at the dispersion of languages among pre- and early humans which, when associated with the work of Greenberg and Cavalli-Sforza (not in this volume) gives clear history of the beginning of the linguistic age. The final report by Renfrew shows linguistic change as a social phenomenon. Read this book!