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Language and Species
Language and Species presents the most detailed and well-documented scenario to date of the origins of language. Drawing on "living linguistic fossils" such as "ape talk," the "two-word" stage of small children, and pidgin languages, and on recent discoveries in paleoanthropology, Bickerton shows how a primitive "protolanguage" could have offered Homo erectus a novel ecological niche. He goes on to demonstrate how this protolanguage could have developed into the languages we speak today.
"You are drawn into [Bickerton's] appreciation of the dominant role language plays not only in what we say, but in what we think and, therefore, what we are."—Robert Wright, New York Times Book Review
"The evolution of language is a fascinating topic, and Bickerton's Language and Species is the best introduction we have."—John C. Marshall, Nature
"You are drawn into [Bickerton's] appreciation of the dominant role language plays not only in what we say, but in what we think and, therefore, what we are."—Robert Wright, New York Times Book Review
"The evolution of language is a fascinating topic, and Bickerton's Language and Species is the best introduction we have."—John C. Marshall, Nature
305 pages, Paperback
First published December 15, 1990
About the author
Derek Bickerton
33 books31 followersDerek Bickerton was a linguist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Hawaii, Manoa. Based on his work in creole languages in Guyana and Hawaii, he proposed that the features of creole languages provide powerful insights into the development of language both by individuals and as a feature of the human species. He was the originator and main proponent of the language bioprogram hypothesis according to which the similarity of creoles is due to their being formed from a prior pidgin by children who all share a universal human innate grammar capacity.
Bickerton also wrote several novels. He was the father of contemporary artist Ashley Bickerton.
Bickerton also wrote several novels. He was the father of contemporary artist Ashley Bickerton.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 25, 2019
A classical book on language evolution. I read it after Adams Tongue from the same author and even though it predates the later by around 20 years I found some of the ideas on this book to be of a deeper nature. Definitely a classic in language evolution and very much an enjoyable read today.
The view of Derek is that all animals have a primary representation system that allows them to conceptualize the sensory input and also run inferences and decision making processes based on that. But humans are the only one as far as we know that have a secondary representation system, with which they represent the PRS concept and manipulate them. The appearance of the SRS is what enabled language, conscience, and a dramatic alteration of the environment. He described which elements may have appeared gradually (protolanguage, of the kind that you can teach chimpanzees but unable of Gavin recursive syntax; vocal tract control, etc.) and how it is possible that love all these pieces were together, the SRS could have appeared as a tipping point around 200kya.
The view of Derek is that all animals have a primary representation system that allows them to conceptualize the sensory input and also run inferences and decision making processes based on that. But humans are the only one as far as we know that have a secondary representation system, with which they represent the PRS concept and manipulate them. The appearance of the SRS is what enabled language, conscience, and a dramatic alteration of the environment. He described which elements may have appeared gradually (protolanguage, of the kind that you can teach chimpanzees but unable of Gavin recursive syntax; vocal tract control, etc.) and how it is possible that love all these pieces were together, the SRS could have appeared as a tipping point around 200kya.
October 8, 2018
You only run into a few really important ideas in your life, and you tend to remember them, if not always exactly when and where they were first heard or read. Years ago, I read this book, and crashed headlong into one of these ideas.
The idea was this: We use language to communicate, and it’s no doubt our most important invention. But communication isn’t what language is, it’s what language does. Language is a system of representation.
Okay, what’s that mean, and what’s important about it?
First off, we never get a raw, uncensored, completely undistorted, true version of reality. Never. Reality is always filtered by the ways in which we access it through our senses. Bickerton called this knowledge gained through our senses our primary representational system, or PRS. Almost every type of creature has one, and they are all different. The PRS is the combination of sensory mechanisms that lets us see, touch, hear, and feel the world around us. Dogs’ worlds are more olfactory than ours because most possess a much keener sense of smell and poor vision. Bats use echolocation to navigate. Some fish utilize electric fields to locate their prey. Birds use the magnetic field of the earth to navigate.
But when humans developed language, we got a secondary representational system. We still receive all our primary information through our senses, but the SRS allowed us to make representations about the things we sensed. It made our reality symbolic; it permitted us to communicate, to create narratives, and tell stories about what we sensed of reality. Our models of reality became more complex and accurate, which made the likelihood of survival greater. Communication was important, but language taught us a new way to think. It also eventually brought a new form of consciousness, self-consciousness. By allowing us to model reality offline, so to speak, it encouraged and broadened planning and imagination.
That’s not the only good idea in this book, however.
Bickerton discovers parallels between childhood language acquisition, ape symbol use, protolanguage, and the way pidgins develop into creoles, to draw other startling conclusions about language and thought. He speculates on the probable origin of protolanguage, likely in Homo erectus, traces the development of grammar, and shows why syntax would have been the last vital step toward modern language, communication, and representation. The sections on grammar and syntax are sometimes tough sledding but worth it. Highest recommendation for this language classic.
The idea was this: We use language to communicate, and it’s no doubt our most important invention. But communication isn’t what language is, it’s what language does. Language is a system of representation.
Okay, what’s that mean, and what’s important about it?
First off, we never get a raw, uncensored, completely undistorted, true version of reality. Never. Reality is always filtered by the ways in which we access it through our senses. Bickerton called this knowledge gained through our senses our primary representational system, or PRS. Almost every type of creature has one, and they are all different. The PRS is the combination of sensory mechanisms that lets us see, touch, hear, and feel the world around us. Dogs’ worlds are more olfactory than ours because most possess a much keener sense of smell and poor vision. Bats use echolocation to navigate. Some fish utilize electric fields to locate their prey. Birds use the magnetic field of the earth to navigate.
But when humans developed language, we got a secondary representational system. We still receive all our primary information through our senses, but the SRS allowed us to make representations about the things we sensed. It made our reality symbolic; it permitted us to communicate, to create narratives, and tell stories about what we sensed of reality. Our models of reality became more complex and accurate, which made the likelihood of survival greater. Communication was important, but language taught us a new way to think. It also eventually brought a new form of consciousness, self-consciousness. By allowing us to model reality offline, so to speak, it encouraged and broadened planning and imagination.
That’s not the only good idea in this book, however.
Bickerton discovers parallels between childhood language acquisition, ape symbol use, protolanguage, and the way pidgins develop into creoles, to draw other startling conclusions about language and thought. He speculates on the probable origin of protolanguage, likely in Homo erectus, traces the development of grammar, and shows why syntax would have been the last vital step toward modern language, communication, and representation. The sections on grammar and syntax are sometimes tough sledding but worth it. Highest recommendation for this language classic.
November 7, 2016
5/10, not necessarily because the writing was bad but more because I disliked the material and pace of it. It was a perfectly fine academic text, but it was trying to be for the common man and not doing too well.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews