This book is the first to focus on the African origins of human language. It explores the origins of language and culture 250,000-150,000 years ago when modern humans evolved in Africa. Internationally renowned scholars address the fossil, genetic, and archaeological evidence and critically examine the ways it has been interpreted.

1. Introduction: Perspectives on the Evolution of Language in Africa ; 2. Earliest Personal Ornaments and Their Significance for the Origin of Language Debate ; 3. Reading the Artefacts: Gleaning Language Skils From the Middle Stone Age in Southern Africa ; 4. Red Ochre, Body Painting, and Language: Interpreting the Blombos Ochre ; 5. Theoretical Underpinnings of Inferences About Languae Evolution: The Syntax Used at Blombos Cave ; 6. Fossil Cues to the Evolution of Speech ; 7. Evidence Against a Genetic-Based Revolution in Language 50,000 Years Ago ; 8. A 'Language-Free' Explanation for Differences Between the European Middle and Upper Palaeolithic Record ; 9. The Importance of Archaeological Evidence for Investigating the Evolutionary Emergence of Language ; 10. Diversity if Languages, Genes, and the Language Faculty ; 11. How Varied Typologically are the Languages of Africa? ; 12. What Click Languages Can and Can't Tell us About Language Origins ; 13. Social Origins: Sharing, Exchange, Kinship ; 14. As Well as Words: Congo Pygmy Hunting, Mimicry, and Play ; 15. Sexual Selection Models for the Emergence of Symbolic Communication: Why They Should be Reversed ; 16. Language, Ochre, and the Rule of Law ; References ; Index

The first book to focus on the African origins of human language Reports the latest thinking from a wide range of disciplines Written by internationally renowned scholars in biology, anthropology, linguistics, genetics, archaeology, and cognitive science Offers fresh perspectives on human evolution Jargon-free and accessible writing

Rudolf Botha is Emeritus Professor of General Linguistics at the University of Stellenbosch, Honorary Professor of Linguistics at Utrecht University, and a Fellow of the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study (2001-02 & 2005-06). His books include Form and Meaning in Word Formation: A Study of Afrikaans Reduplication (CUP 1988), Challenging Chomsky: The Generative Garden Game (Blackwell 1989), and Unravelling the Evolution of Language (Elsevier 2003). Chris Knight is Professor of Anthropology at the University of East London. Best known for his 1991 book, 'Blood Relations: Menstruation and the origins of culture', he helped initiate the Evolution of Language (evolang) series of international conferences and has published widely on the evolutionary emergence of language and symbolic culture. His next book will be The Human Conspiracy: Speech, deception and the selfish gene.

The first book to focus on the African origins of human language Reports the latest thinking from a wide range of disciplines Written by internationally renowned scholars in biology, anthropology, linguistics, genetics, archaeology, and cognitive science Offers fresh perspectives on human evolution Jargon-free and accessible writing