There has been much debate and discussion on the origin of language in human species. The exact time of origin of human language is still unknown due to lack of direct evidence. Experts have drawn inferences from secondary sources like fossils and archaeological findings.
The book traces the evolution of languages in the history of mankind and describes many hypotheses regarding when, where, why, and how human languages emerged.
The distinct features of the book are the description of origin and evolution of languages; primate language; importance of Broca and Wernicke portions of the Neocortex in the brain; theories of human language development; primary characteristics of human language; communication system in animals; animal intelligence; ancient languages and their scripts; living and extinguished languages and their scripts; modern languages; introduction to Indo-European and Indo-Dravidian languages; and the development of writing system and writing material.
The book covers more than twenty major living and non-living languages along with their origins, scripts, grammar, inscriptions, and how respective literature helped the language to develop. The important characteristics of six main languages of the world—German, French, Spanish, Italian, Hindi and Japanese—and their daily usable phrases and basic grammar have been included.
The book also explains how ancient people used scripts to convey their messages, beginning with knot records, tallies, graphic symbols, hieroglyphic, cuneiform, etc. Valuable information about Indus Valley writing, Aramaic, Chinese, Mayan, and Greek writing has also been included.
The book will be useful for students, teachers and scholars in the pertinent field. It will also appeal to those interested in knowing about the evolution of human language.
Jaya S. Nagendra has a degree in Computer Science from University of Maryland, USA. She also obtained a Master’s Degree in Information System from USA. In her graduation she studied science, mathematics, anthropology, and world history. She developed a keen interest in world languages and received basic education in German, French, Spanish, and Italian. She also explored about world languages and their main characteristics.
She has translated Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol into Kannada, and written one book, India at a Glance, 2012.
