Customer Reviews

Highly Plausible Reconstruction Effort - By: B. M. Still, 20 Dec 2005
Burling's relatively short volume is very readable, non-technical attempt to mark a path looking at real world forcesin connection with the evolution of speech. Centrally, & without bold claims, he stresses the importance of cognitive evolution proceeding physiological evolution: shared meaning, & the understanding of intention must proceed more sophisticated communication practices.

He repudiates the position of those who believein the necessity of rapid phological evolution: again, as so often demonstratedin evolutionary studies, a rudimentary, or more basic form of an "organ" often serves a demonstrably useful role. Burling paints a highly plausible picture of progressive, incrementally more sophisticated stages of vocal communication appearing amongst our ancestors.

He also rejects Klein's concept of the cognitive "big-bang" taking place around 50,000 years ago: evidence now strongly supports an earlier still impressive degree of cultural sophistication.

This volume is a very important addition to the literature on this topic, & I think one of the most careful & convincingin its approach. Anyone interestedin the field will be virtually compelled to read it because of Burling has grasped the nettle & laid out a fairly detailed trajectory for the evolution of this most human of skills, but besides the compulsion on the grounds of keeping abreast with the field, this book is a pleasant & relaxed exposition.

Certainly a more detailed level of mechanistic explanation is warranted than what he has provided here, but he's shone a light onto "a" path of evolution: its now down to others to challenge his model or assist with substantiating it.