<b>The origin of language</b> : Tracing the evolution of the mother tongue. By Merritt Ruhlen. New York: John Wiley &amp; Sons, 1994. Pp. xii, 239.

Abstract

is a leader in the new attempt to unify the theory of language development and diffusion.--Library Journal A powerful statement...also a wonderfully clear exposition of linguistic thinking about prehistory.--Anthropological Science One of the world's foremost language researchers takes readers step-by-step through the hotly contested evidence that all modern languages derive from one mother tongue once spoken by primitive humans in Africa. With The Origin of Language, Merritt Ruhlen makes this fascinating science accessible to readers with no linguistic background. MERRITT RUHLEN, PhD (Palo Alto, California) is the author of A Guide to the World's Languages