The Handbook of Human Symbolic Evolution

by Lock, Andrew; Peters, Charles R.

• ISBN13: 9780631216902
• ISBN10: 0631216901
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-12-03
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

Explanations and accounts of our own origins have become one of the most popular of all the areas in science that are now regularly brought into the public arena via television, lavishly illustrated books, and even cartoons. The discovery of fossils and artefacts has its own intrinsic interest, but it is the origin of our characteristically human abilities - to be able to speak, create images, read, write etc. that holds the imagination. The aim of this volume is to create a reference work that sets out and evaluates the basic knowledge and theory relevant to these origins of communication that has accumulated in the scientific literature over the last few decades. Indeed, the evolution of language within the area of linguistics has suddenly become a very hot topic, having been frowned upon in the past since evolution was previously considered to be outside mainstream scientific enquiry. Contributions to the volume include those from linguistics, anthropology and psychology. Primatologists and biologists have also contributed giving the reader a uniquely broad and accessible reference work in this burgeoning area of study. This volume was first published in hardcover by Oxford University Press in 1996.

Author Biography

Andrew Lock is Professor of Psychology at Massey University, New Zealand.
Charles Peters is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Georgia.

Table of Contents

Palaeoanthropology

Photogallery of Fossil Skulls

An Outline of Human Phylogeny

Evolutionary Trees of Apes and Humans From DNA Sequences

Evolution of The Human Brain

Evolution of The Hand and Bipedality

Social and Socio-Cultural Systems

Primate Communication, Lies, and Ideas

Social Relations, Human Ecology, and The Evolution of Culture: An Exploration of Concepts and Definitions

Social Relations, Communication, and Cognition

On The Evolution of Human Socio-Cultural Patterns

The Evolution of Tools and Symbolic Behaviour

The Interpretation of European 'Palaeolithic Art': Magic, Mythogram, and Metaphors For Modernity

Photogallery of Contemporary Hunter-Gatherer Art: A. Australian Aboriginal Art. B. South African Bushman Art

Ontogeny and Symbolism

The Role of Ontogenesis in Human Evolution and Development

The Ontogeny and Evolution of The Brain, Cognition, and Language

Early Interaction and Cognitive Skills: Implications For The Acquisition of Culture

The Origins of Language and Thought in Early Childhood

Theories of Symbolization and Development

Children's Drawings and The Evolution of Art

Language Systems

Spoken Language and Sign Language

A History of The Study of Language Origins and The Gestural Primacy Hypothesis

Cognitive Abilities in A Comparative Perspective

Animal Language and Cognition Projects

Symbols and Structures in Language Acquisition

The Reconstruction of The Evolution of Human Spoken Language

Theoretical Stages in The Prehistory of Grammar

Social and Cognitive Factors in The Historical Elaboration of Writing

Epilogue

Tempo and Mode of Change in The Evolution of Symbolism

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