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Evolutionary Pragmatics: Communicative Interaction and the Origins of Language
Hardcover
Series: Oxford Studies in the Evolution of Language
Please select the version of book you would like to purchase.
ISBN10: 019287120X
ISBN13: 9780192871206
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: Nov 30 2025
Pages: 336
Weight: 1.43
Height: 1.03 Width: 6.39 Depth: 9.40
Language: English
ISBN13: 9780192871206
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: Nov 30 2025
Pages: 336
Weight: 1.43
Height: 1.03 Width: 6.39 Depth: 9.40
Language: English
This volume explores the new interdisciplinary field of evolutionary pragmatics, which encompasses research on both the evolution of abilities needed for pragmatics and the role of pragmatics in the evolution of language. The biological evolution of linguistic capacities and the cultural evolution of natural languages were both driven by the communicative interactions of our ancestors; since these communicative interactions are the province of pragmatics, evolutionary pragmatics is the cornerstone of the study of the evolution of language. The chapters in this volume investigate a wide range of pragmatic topics from an evolutionary perspective, including reference, ambiguity, common ground, communicative intentions, and language conventions. The authors also examine a number of topics relating specifically to evolutionary pragmatics, ranging from baboon vocalizations and gestural communication in chimpanzees to formal models of the evolution of signalling systems and the co-evolution of pragmatics and grammar. The range of approaches adopted reflects the interdisciplinary nature of the field, with insights from linguistics, philosophy, psychology, and primatology.
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