This book provides a critical introduction to the current views and controversies regarding language evolution. It sheds new light on hot topics such as: How an

Language, more than anything else, is what makes us human. It appears that no communication system of equivalent power exists elsewhere in the animal kingdom. A

Leading scholars present critical accounts of every aspect of the field, including work in animal behaviour; anatomy, genetics and neurology; the prehistory of

Languages are constantly changing. New words are added to the English language every year, either borrowed or coined, and there is often railing against the 'de

This book brings together the most important insights from the vast amount of literature on the origin of language.