Doctor Dolittle's Delusion : Animals and the Uniqueness of Human Language

by Stephen R. Anderson; With illustrations by Amanda Patrick

• ISBN13: 9780300103397
• ISBN10: 0300103395
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2004-08-11
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

Dr. Dolittle had it wrong, says the author of this fascinating book: animals cannot use language. Stephen Anderson explains the difference between communication and language and shows that animals do not have the cognitive capacities necessary to acquire language."A masterly overview of what is currently known about the communicative abilities of a wide range of creatures. . . . Anderson's synthesis provides illuminating comparisons with the infinitely more sophisticated resources of the human language. . . . An elegant book."-Neil Smith, Nature"Well-written, well-argued, and provocative. . . . I enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone interested in animal communication and the evolution of language."-Marc Bekoff, Quarterly Review of Biology

Author Biography

Stephen R. Anderson is professor of linguistics, psychology, and cognitive science at Yale University.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
1 Animals, Language, and Linguistics	1	(14)
2 Language and Communication	15	(23)
3 On Studying Cognition	38	(25)
4 The Dance "Language" of Honeybees	63	(27)
5 Sound in Frog and Man	90	(38)
6 Birds and Babies Learning to Speak	128	(38)
7 What Primates Have to Say for Themselves	166	(31)
8 Syntax	197	(34)
9 Language Is Not Just Speech	231	(32)
10 Language Instruction in the Laboratory	263	(42)
11 Language, Biology, and Evolution	305	(20)
Notes	325	(6)
References	331	(8)
Credits	339	(2)
Index	341