Compares nonhuman primates and human infants with regard to key abilities that provide
the foundation for language. It makes the case for phylogenetic continuity across species
and ontogenetic continuity from infancy to childhood. Examined here are behaviors
fundamental to language acquisition, such as vocalizations, mapping of meaning onto
sound, use of gestures to communicate and to symbolize, tool use, object concept, and
memory. The author presents evidence linking these abilities with language acquisition. This …

This book starts out with the clearly stated intention of examining the evidence for
phylogenetic and ontogenetic continuity of linguistic behavior. Ignoring the obvious, it was
not immediately clear to me what Joanna Blake's purpose could be in examining these two
domains simultaneously, particularly because, in primatological discussions, continuity is a
term more often associated with phylogenetic issues than with child development. At the
very least, the meaning of continuity differs markedly in the two domains. The answer is of …