Binding: Paperback
Description: Language is central to our lives the cultural tool that arguably sets us apart from other species. Some scientists have argued that language is innate a type of unique human 'instinct pre - programmed in us from birth. In this book Vyvyan Evans argues that this received wisdom is in fact a myth. Debunking the notion of a language 'instinct' Evans demonstrates that language is related to other animal forms of communication; that languages exhibit staggering diversity; that we learn our mother tongue drawing on general properties and abilities of the human mind rather than an inborn 'universal grammar; that language is not autonomous but is closely related to other aspects of our mental lives; and that ultimately language and the mind reflect and draw upon the way we interact with others in the world. Compellingly written and drawing on cutting - edge research The Language Myth sets out a forceful alternative to the received wisdom showing how language and the mind really work.
Title: The Language Myth Why Language Is Not An Instinct
Author(s): Evans Vyvyan (Bangor University)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Barcode: 9781107619753
Pages: 314 Pages, 11 Tables, Black And White; 4 Halftones, Unspecified; 7 Line Drawings, Unspecified
Publication Date: 9/22/2014
Category: Semantics, Discourse Analysis, Etc