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CIAO DATE: 03/02
Critical Review
The Origin of Speech and Its Implications for the Optimal Size of Human Groups
By A.R. Maryanski
Abstract
In Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language, Robin Dunbar argues that speech developed from primate vocalizations as a replacement for grooming. Dunbar convincingly shows that language is just a highly developed form of primate communication. But Dunbar's thesis about the relationship betwen speech and optimal group size is problematic: his focus on strong ties leads him to overlook the integrative force of weak-tie networks.