Vico, Metaphor, and the Origin of LanguageThe origin of language is one of the deep mysteries of human existence. Drawing upon the work of the eighteenth-century Italian philosopher Giambattista Vico, Marcel Danesi fashions a persuasive, original account of the evolution and development of language. Seeking to reconstruct the primitive mind that generated language and the evolutionary events that must have preceded the advent of speech, he takes Vico's insight that mind, culture, and language evolved from the uniquely human faculty known as fantasia ("the imagination") and sketches a "primal scene" of compelling interest. Danesi identifies metaphor, the feature of mind that transforms iconic, perceptual thinking into conceptual thinking, as the crucial event in the Vichian scenario. The description of this scenario forms the core of Vico, Metaphor, and the Origin of Language. Danesi then evaluates the Vichian reconstruction of the origin of language in light of contemporary research in the cognitive, social, and biological sciences and with competing theories. |
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Contents
A Vichian Reconstruction | 30 |
The Vichian | 60 |
The Iconicity and Visual | 83 |
Copyright | |
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ability abstract activity allowed animal argued associated attempts audio-oral became become body brain called capacity century chapter claim cognitive color communication concepts connection consider context culture deep level discussed domains early emerged evolution existence experience explain expression fact findings functions genetic gesture glottogenetic hand Homo human hypothesis iconic ideas imagery images imagination imitative ingegno instance interest kind knowledge language linguistic literal logical meaning mental Metaphor mind models myths names narrative nature notion objects organs origin osmosis perception perspective possible present primitive produced question rational recent reconstruction referents reflect representation response result sapiens scenario scientific sense showed shown signs social sounds specific speech structure subjects suggests surface symbols theory things thinking thought tion transformed understand units universal verbal Vichian Vico Vico's visual vocal writing
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Bibliographic information
| Title | Vico, Metaphor, and the Origin of Language Advances in semiotics, ISSN 2692-0409 Music--Scholarship and Performance |
| Authors | Director of the Program in Semiotics and Communication Theory Marcel Danesi, PH.D., Marcel Danesi |
| Publisher | Indiana University Press, 1993 |
| Original from | the University of California |
| Digitized | 12 Feb 2008 |
| ISBN | 0253316073, 9780253316073 |
| Length | 190 pages |
| Subjects | › › Language Arts & Disciplines / General Language Arts & Disciplines / Linguistics / General Philosophy / General Philosophy / History & Surveys / Modern |
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