Why Chimpanzees Can't Learn Language and Only Humans Can

In this work, the distinguished psychologist Herbert S. Terrace illustrates a unique comparative perspective on the nature and evolution of language. -- Charles Yang, Professor of Linguistics and Computer Science, Director of the Program in Cognitive Science, University of Pennsylvania Terrace played a very significant role in ape language research. His personal reflections and the conclusions he has drawn about language remain both controversial and relevant. -- Terrence W. Deacon, Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley Language seems to be a miracle; even our closest relatives, the great apes, lack any capacity for the grammatical structures that make human language unique. Herbert Terrace goes further and shows that chimpanzees can't even learn words. With characteristic clarity, he nevertheless gives a convincing account of language evolution in Darwinian terms, without appeal to miracles. This is an important new approach to an old and vexed problem. -- Michael Corballis, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, University of Auckland Herb Terrace, known for his breakthrough work on the ape, Nim Chimpsky, now shines light on language acquisition in human children. In this masterful work Terrace provides extraordinarily novel ideas about the evolution and development of the human mind and brain. This book will change how you think about human uniqueness. Terrace fills in one of the most important missing links in cognitive science-what it means to be a talking human being, and how we got that way. -- Andrew N. Meltzoff, Ph.D., Professor, University of Washington and co-author of <i>The Scientist in the Crib</i>