This is a volume that cannot be readily classified, one which promises a "synthetic approach" that bridges multiple disciplines to address perennial questions regarding the co-origins of human language and consciousness. In treating these issues across disciplines, Haworth and Prewitt endeavor to strike a balance between general language and specialized terminology. . . is the personal narrative that introduces each chapter, which describes their own evolution as academics, thinkers, and practitioners. While the purported aims may be lofty—for the analytical conclusions "to relate back ... to the human condition as it unfolds"—the effect of "such 'messy' texts" is to situate the narrator/author/ethnographer as one participant among many, coming to an understanding in a linear sequence that they are sharing with their readers. This may have the effect of making the text more legible to the non-specialist. . . Overall, this is a compact treatment of a complex subject, rendered in accessible, non-technical language, suitable for advanced students and scholars. Summing Up: Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals.

Choice Reviews

This is a terrific work of integrative science. Pulling together threads from cognitive science, art history, evolutionary history and semiotics, Haworth and Prewitt construct an intriguing case for certain developments in analytical thinking within hominid brains which make possible the intricacies of symbolic argument that characterizes human linguistic thought. Following shifting patterns of holistic and analytical mental processes, they show how cave art and other clues suggest the iconic and indexic functions of language long preceded the acquisition of complex language, argue for more attention to be given to the holistic mind, and point to narrative as the stepping stone that led homo to a new world of the symbolic, analytical mind. Itself an argument for the importance of generalists, this provocative work transcends any single discipline, and points to new fertile investigations for future scholars.

Steven Skaggs, professor of Design, Hite Institute, University of Louisville

With insights from prehistoric cave art to present-day autism, anthropologists Haworth and Prewitt bring considerable interdisciplinary insight to their account of how language evolved from holistic to analytical modes of cognition. Their interspersed reflections on serendipitous and shared processes of discovery will engage readers with a parallel narrative of emergence.

Robert S. Hatten, Marlene and Morton Meyerson Professor in Music, The University of Texas; former President of the Semiotic Society of America; author of A Theory of Virtual Agency in Western Art Music (2018)

The question of consciousness has become a critical one in an age where machines might develop a form of consciousness, whatever that might be. The Evolution of Human Consciousness and Linguistic Behavior is crucial to the debate, since it looks at the origins of human systems of meaning-making and interpretation, focusing on language. Language requires a body, a mind, and a context to emerge, based on evolutionary patterns that allow for both adaptation and creativity. This book is brilliant; it is required reading for everyone involved in the consciousness debate. It will also be of great interest to anyone interested in what being human today implies.

Marcel Danesi, professor emeritus, University of Toronto