Preface	6
	Introduction	7
	Contents	10
	About the Author	12
	Part I	13
	Evolution	13
	Chapter 1	14
	The Human Lineage	14
	1.1 .An Overview	14
	1.2 Fossil Evidence	16
	References	24
	Chapter 2	26
	Protomusic and Speech	26
	2.1 The Role of Protomusic	26
	2.2 Evolutionary Milestones	28
	References	34
	Chapter 3	36
	Genetic Foundations	36
	3.1 Language-Related Genes	36
	3.2 The Role of the Basal Ganglia	38
	References	43
	Chapter 4	45
	The Rise of Cognition	45
	4.1 Comparative Studies	45
	4.2 Proto-Cognition	61
	References	69
	Part II	74
	Paradigms	74
	Chapter 5	75
	The Human Language System	75
	5.1 Biological Disposition	75
	5.2 Linguistic Wiring	78
	References	81
	Chapter 6	83
	Semantics and Syntax	83
	6.1 Sentence Structures	83
	6.2 Neural Nets	90
	References	94
	Chapter 7	96
	Lexical Concepts	96
	7.1 Constructions	96
	7.2 Mental Space	101
	References	103
	Chapter 8	105
	Figurative Language	105
	8.1 Lexical Dark Matters	105
	8.2 Idioms and Metaphors	106
	References	112
	Part III	113
	Circuits	113
	Chapter 9	114
	Generating Sentences	114
	9.1 Structural Complexity	114
	9.2 The Role of Working Memory	122
	References	128
	Chapter 10	132
	Accessing Word Meanings	132
	10.1 Lexical Concepts	132
	10.2 Figures of Speech	139
	References	154
	Chapter 11	162
	Atypical Language	162
	11.1 Aphasia	162
	11.2 Communicative Disorders	168
	References	175
	Chapter 12	184
	Language Acquisition	184
	12.1 .The Genetic Program	184
	12.2 .The Multilingual Brain	186
	References	194
	Prospects	197
	Index	199