TY  - BOOK
AU  - Evans,Vyvyan
TI  - The language myth: why language is not an instinct 
SN  - 9781107358300 (ebook)
AV  - P204 .E88 2014
U1  - 401 23
PY  - 2014///
CY  - Cambridge
PB  - Cambridge University Press
KW  - Linguistic universals
KW  - Cognitive grammar
KW  - Innateness hypothesis (Linguistics)
KW  - Language and languages
KW  - Philosophy
KW  - Psycholinguistics
N1  - Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015); Machine generated contents note: Acknowledgements; 1. Language and mind rethought; 2. Is human language unrelated to animal communication systems?; 3. Are there language universals?; 4. Is language innate?; 5. Is language a distinct module in the mind?; 6. Is there a universal Mentalese?; 7. Is thought independent of language?; 8. Language and mind regained
N2  - Language is central to our lives, the cultural tool that arguably sets us apart from other species. Some scientists have argued that language is innate, a type of unique human'instinct' pre-programmed in us from birth. In this book, Vyvyan Evans argues that this received wisdom is, in fact, a myth. Debunking the notion of a language'instinct', Evans demonstrates that language is related to other animal forms of communication; that languages exhibit staggering diversity; that we learn our mother tongue drawing on general properties and abilities of the human mind, rather than an inborn'universal' grammar; that language is not autonomous but is closely related to other aspects of our mental lives; and that, ultimately, language and the mind reflect and draw upon the way we interact with others in the world. Compellingly written and drawing on cutting-edge research, The Language Myth sets out a forceful alternative to the received wisdom, showing how language and the mind really work
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107358300
ER  -