Survival of the Smallest: The Story of How Speech Began

IF OUR ANCIENT PRE-HUMAN ANCESTORS COMMUNICATED THROUGH CALLS, WHAT HAPPENED TO TURN THESE INTO SPOKEN LANGUAGE? Survival of the Smallest is the story of what was behind this amazing achievement, and who was the driving force. Beginning with a species living 3.5 million years ago and ending with our own, Homo sapiens, 45 thousand years ago, Wendy Turner brings to life the day-to-day challenges which confronted our ancestors - and the pressures on their survival skills. At the heart of the process were their vulnerable young, making their own bid to survive. Using knowledge and experience gained over twenty years of working as a Speech and Language Therapist, she shows how species by species, adaptations arose in their communication systems. Informative and readable, Survival of the Smallest is referenced from a range of sources, offering a personal perspective on how spoken language evolved. Along the way, insights can be found into the kind of approaches that help today's children develop their own speech and language - a priceless gift from our ancient past.