Specialization:
Evolutionary origin of language; animal communication; language and brain
Bio:
During the past ten years, my research has switched from Chinese linguistics and language typology to the biological foundation of language with special focus on the multidisciplinary approach to the evolutionary origin of language involving paleoanthropology, neural science and the evolution of cognitive behavior among mammals. Related to my research I will be offering new courses in the Linguistics Department on language and brain and the biological foundation of language.
Education
1971 Ph.D, University of California, Berkeley
Currrent Projects
- A multidisciplinary approach to the origin of language
Publications:
“The evolutionary origin of language”, in Mirror Neurons and the Evolution of Brain and Language, edited by M. Stamenov & V. Gallese, John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2002. pp.175-206.
Courses:
- Linguistics 185: Animal Communication.
- Graduate Seminar: The Evolutionary Origin of Language.