Neurobiology of social communication in primates: An evolutionary perspective Ed. by Horst D. Steklis and Michael J. Raleigh (review)

BOOK NOTICES 249 more general nature by B. Von Eckardt Klein ('What is the biology of language?') and by N. Chomsky and E. Walker ('The linguistic and psycholinguistic background'). It is not clear why the appendix on 'Some neurological techniaues for assessing localization offunction', by D. Rosenfield, was given different status from most of the papers included in this volume. The first essay, titled 'Inferring functional localization from neurological evidence', by B. Von Eckardt Klein, addresses the question whether and under what conditions the deficit method of functional localization (based primarily on the study ofaphasia) can support theories of neural realization of the 'language-responsible cognitive structure'. Not surprisingly, she concludes that a multi-discipline approach is essential in order to develop adequate functional -localization hypotheses pertinent to human linguistic capacity. M.-L. Kean's inquiry into 'The linguistic interpretation of aphasie syndromes' is perhaps the most informative of the papers included here, at least for the non-specialist. This study not only describes much previous research, but also provides new, interesting suggestions as to the precise localization and operation of specific linguistic functions in the human brain. Although familiar with earlier Soviet achievements in the field, Kean naturally could not yet incorporate in her discussion some of the most recent pertinent findings as reported by, e.g., V. V. Ivanov in his book Cet i necet: Asimmetrija mozga i znakovyx sistem (Moscow, 1978), and, in particular, A. R. Lurija in his posthumously published lecture course Jazyk i soznanie (Moscow, 1979). The third essay, 'Accessing the mental lexicon ', by K. I. Forster, discusses problems of lexicology and its mental correlates in terms of experimental cognitive psychology. The crucial notion here is 'lexical access'; several approaches , as well as a particular 'search model', are discussed. Like the other studies in this volume , this is more a tentative discussion of problems and methods than a suggestion for any particular solution. The two remaining papers, ? case study: Face recognition', by S. Carey, and 'Current studies of animal communication as paradigms for the biology of language', by E. Walker, bear only indirectly on the study ofnatural language. The first ofthese, though interesting reading for the cognitive psychologist, need not concern us here; the second aptly summarizes some of the language analogs found in animal communication , as discussed in greater detail elsewhere (by T. A. Sebeok, among others). [Henrik Birnbaum, UCLA.] Neurobiology of social communication in primates: An evolutionary perspective . Ed. by Horst D. Steklis and MichaelJ. Raleigh. New York: Academic Press, 1979. Pp. xiii, 325. This volume (hereafter NSC) provides a welcome addition to the growing number of books dealing with the evolution of speech and language . Steklis & Raleigh have wisely organized NSC around the basic question ofwhat is known about neural control of vocal production and perception in primates, and the possible implications of this knowledge for consideration of the evolution ofhuman linguistic capacities. The result is an informative and stimulating (albeit somewhat uneven) collection of papers which should set the tone for much future discussion in the area of the origins of human language. The book is organized in three general sections , the first of which is concerned with current knowledge of vocal production and auditory perception in non-human primates. Uwe Jürgens' chapter ('Neural control of vocalization in non-human primates') reviews the effects of stimulation, neuro-anatomical, and lesion studies on primate vocalizations, and concludes with a suggestion for the hierarchical organization of neural control of vocalization. In 'Mechanisms underlying vocal control in non-human primates', Dwight Sutton discusses the structural mechanisms and possible functional significance ofphonation in primates, and provides a good introduction to the range of call types in different primate species (although the reader wishing to pursue the ecological constraints bearing on different call types in primates should consult Marler 1976 for a more detailed discussion). Finally, John Newman ('Central nervous system processing of sounds in primates ') provides an excellent review of current knowledge of neural processing of auditory stimuli in primates (especially the processing of conspecific sounds); this should be of particular relevance to readers interested in the possible evolutionary bases of speech perception mechanisms in humans. 250 LANGUAGE, VOLUME 57, NUMBER 1 (1981) The...