1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910828635403321

Autore

Bejarano Teresa

Titolo

Becoming human : from pointing gestures to syntax / / Teresa Bejarano

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Amsterdam ; ; Philadelphia, : John Benjamins Pub. Co., 2011

ISBN

1-283-17487-1

9786613174871

90-272-8679-5

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (420 p.)

Collana

Advances in consciousness research, , 1381-589X ; ; v. 81

Disciplina

153

Soggetti

Language acquisition

Gesture

Grammar, Comparative and general - Syntax

Psycholinguistics

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Nota di contenuto

section 1. Evolutionary precursors -- section 2. The basic human ability -- section 3. Specifiying some necessary requisites of language -- section 4. The origin of prediction and syntax -- section 5. Pregrammatical, theme-rheme syntax : revisiting Frege and Vygotsky -- section 6. From original to present-day prediction : links and grammatical syntax -- section 7. Syntax beyond predication.

Sommario/riassunto

What do the pointing gesture, the imitation of new complex motor patterns, the evocation of absent objects and the grasping of others' false beliefs all have in common? Apart from being (one way or other) involved in the language, they all would share a demanding requirement - a second mental centre within the subject. This redefinition of the simulationism is extended in the present book in two directions. Firstly, mirror-neurons and, likewise, animal abilities connected with the visual field of their fellows, although they certainly constitute important landmarks, would not require this second mental centre. Secondly, others' beliefs would have given rise not only to predicative communicative function but also to pre-grammatical syntax. The inquiry about the evolutionary-historic origin of language focuses on the cognitive requirements on it as a faculty (but not to the



indirect causes such as environmental changes or greater co-operation), pays attention to children, and covers other human peculiarities as well, e.g., symbolic play, protodeclaratives, self-conscious emotions, and interactional or four-hand tasks.