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The Language Puzzle: Piecing Together the Six-Million-Year Story of How Words Evolved book cover by Steven Mithen
Hardcover

The Language Puzzle: Piecing Together the Six-Million-Year Story of How Words Evolved

by Steven Mithen

$23.60 / copy at 25+ copies As low as $19.60 at 1,000+Your best volume price

Total $590.00

Hardcover · 544 pages Basic Books · 2024

Format

Hardcover
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About the book

The Language Puzzle

A top scholar reveals the most complete picture to date of how early human speech led to the languages we use today  

The emergence of language began with the apelike calls of our earliest ancestors. Today, the world is home to thousands of complex languages. Yet exactly how, when, and why this evolution occurred has been one of the most enduring—and contentiously debated—questions in science.  

In The Language Puzzle, renowned archaeologist Steven Mithen puts forward a groundbreaking new account of the origins of language. Scientists have gained new insights into the first humans of 2.8 million years ago, and how numerous species flourished but only one, Homo sapiens, survives today. Drawing from this work and synthesizing research across archaeology, psychology, linguistics, genetics, neuroscience, and more, Mithen details a step-by-step explanation of how our human ancestors transitioned from apelike calls to words, and from words to language as we use it today. He explores how language shaped our cognition and vice versa; how metaphor advanced Homo sapiens’ ability to formulate abstract concepts, develop agriculture, and—ultimately—shape the world. The result is a master narrative that builds bridges between disciplines, stuns with its breadth and depth, and spans millennia of societal development.

Deeply researched and brilliantly told, The Language Puzzle marks a seminal understanding of the evolution of language.  



The book, The Language Puzzle: Piecing Together the Six-Million-Year Story of How Words Evolved [Bulk, Wholesale, Quantity] ISBN#9781541605381 in Hardcover by Steven Mithen may be ordered in bulk quantities. Minimum starts at 25 copies. Availability based on publisher status and quantity being ordered.

Details

Publisher
Basic Books
Author
Steven Mithen
Format
Hardcover
Published
Jun 18, 2024
ISBN-13
9781541605381
ISBN-10
1541605381
Pages
544
Carton quantity
20 copies
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CopiesPrice per copyYou save
25 – 99 $23.60 41% off list
100 – 249 $22.40 44% off list
250 – 499 $21.20 47% off list
500 – 999 $20.40 49% off list
1,000+ $19.60 51% off list
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What does The Language Puzzle cost when I buy for a group?

Volume pricing applies automatically in your cart, with no code needed. Price per copy: 25 to 99 copies, $23.60 (41% off list); 100 to 249 copies, $22.40 (44% off list); 250 to 499 copies, $21.20 (47% off list); 500 to 999 copies, $20.40 (49% off list); 1,000+ copies, $19.60 (51% off list). Need a different quantity, or a quote to forward for approval? Ask a specialist and we will confirm pricing before you pay.

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