Nonverbal Steps to the Origins of Language

1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-032-70976-5
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 194 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 453 g

Nonverbal Steps to the Origins of Language examines the origin and development of human language through the seemingly paradoxical lens of nonverbal communication. Taking an evolutionary stance, it identifies and explores 15 sequential nonverbal steps that cumulatively enabled modern linguistic communication in Homo sapiens.

Each step examines how human communication has evolved over time, detailing the changes that occurred at each developmental stage and their corresponding roles in gestured and spoken language. While following an evolutionary timeline, the book contextualizes these developments within modern discourse on topics such as linguistics, physiology and brain development. The authors introduce the innovative "Language Superimposition Theory" (LST), proposing that human language—in both its vocal and gestural forms—was superimposed upon an older, preexisting nonverbal medium. This theoretical framework challenges conventional understanding of language origins by elevating nonverbal communication from its traditionally neglected status.

Exploring diverse topics including chemical messaging, audio-visual messaging, emotional signaling, binocular vision, facial expressions, pointing behaviors, object manipulation, ancient tool-making, and food sharing, this fascinating intellectual journey is a must-read for students of nonverbal communication from psychology, linguistics and anthropology backgrounds.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Givens, David B.

White, John

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Sprachsoziologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Medien- und Kommunikationswissenschaften Kommunikationswissenschaften
• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Allgemeine Psychologie Kognitionspsychologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Sprachwissenschaft Psycholinguistik, Neurolinguistik, Kognition
• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften Evolutionsbiologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgement Prologue  Chapter 1: Step 1 (3.7 billion years ago): Chemical Messages—“I am Here”  Chapter 2: Step 2 (500 million years ago) Vertebrate Messages—“I am Here” (Advent of “I” / “me”)  Chapter 3: Step 3 (500 million years ago) Vertebrate Messages—“You are There” (advent of “You”)  Chapter 4: Step 4 (150 million years ago): Mammalian Emotion  Chapter 5: Step 5 (150 million years ago): Mammalian Acrobatic Tongue  Chapter 6: Step 6 (65 million years ago): Primate Binocular Vision  Chapter 7: Step 7 (65 million years ago): Primate Grasping Hands  Chapter 8: Step 8 (65 million years ago): Primate Dexterous Lips  Chapter 9: Step 9 (35-40 million years ago): Higher Primate Facial Communication  Chapter 10: Step 10 (24 million years ago): Primate Food Sharing  Chapter 11: Step 11 (2.6 million years ago): Human Tool Making  Chapter 12: Step 12 (1.9 million years ago): Object Fancy  Chapter 13: Step 13 (1.9 million years ago): Pointing—“It is there” (Advent of “That”)  Chapter 14: Step 14 (1.9 million years ago): Human Cranial Capacity Increase  Chapter 15: Step 15 (200 thousand years ago): Sonorous Human Larynx  Chapter 16: Conclusion: Language Migration, Visual to Vocal Epilogue Index

Über Autor(innen)

David B. Givens has recently retired as a teacher in the School of Professional Studies at Gonzaga University, USA and is the Director of the Center for Nonverbal Studies. He began studying "body language" for his Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA. He served as Anthropologist in Residence at the American Anthropological Association in Washington, D.C. from 1985-97 and has previously taught Anthropology at the University of Washington. His expertise is in Nonverbal Communication, Anthropology and the Brain. He has published numerous books and articles on the topic of nonverbal communication, to include ‘ Love signals: A practical field guide to the body language of courtship’ (2005); ‘Crime signals: how to spot a criminal before you become a victim’ (2008); ‘The Routledge Dictionary of Nonverbal Communication’ (Routledge, 2021) and ‘A guide to sight-reading the body language of business, bosses, and boardrooms’ (2024).

John White works as an Assistant Professor on undergraduate and postgraduate education programmes in the Institute of Education, Dublin City University. He currently works as Director of the DCU Changemaker Schools Network. His research interests include language acquisition, nonverbal communication, primary education, embodied cognition, arts-based research, mathematics education, science education, and changemaker practices. He is the co-author of two books on nonverbal communication: ‘The Classroom X –Factor: The Power of Body Language and Nonverbal Communication in Teaching’ (Routledge, 2011) and ‘The Routledge Dictionary of Nonverbal Communication’ (Routledge, 2021).