Nonverbal Steps to the Origins of Language

Nonverbal Steps to the Origins of Language examines the origin and development of human language through the seemingly paradoxical lens of nonverbal communication. Taking an evolutionary stance, it identifies and explores 15 sequential nonverbal steps that cumulatively enabled modern linguistic communication in Homo sapiens.

Prof David B. Givens has recently retired as a teacher in the School of Professional Studies at Gonzaga University, USA and is the Director of the Center for Nonverbal Studies. He began studying ＂body language＂ for his Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA. He served as Anthropologist in Residence at the American Anthropological Association in Washington, D.C. from 1985-97 and has previously taught Anthropology at the University of Washington. His expertise is in Nonverbal Communication, Anthropology and the Brain. He has published numerous books and articles on the topic of nonverbal communication, to include ’ Love signals: A practical field guide to the body language of courtship’ (Macmillan, 2005); ’Crime signals: how to spot a criminal before you become a victim’ (Macmillan, 2008); ’The Routledge Dictionary of Nonverbal Communication’ (Routledge, 2021) and ’A guide to sight-reading the body language of business, bosses, and boardrooms’ (Macmillan, 2024).

Dr John White works as an Assistant Professor on undergraduate and postgraduate education programmes in the Institute of Education, Dublin City University. He currently works as Director of the DCU Changemaker Schools Network. His research interests include language acquisition, nonverbal communication, primary education, embodied cognition, arts-based research, mathematics education, science education, and changemaker practices. He is the co-author of two books on nonverbal communication: ’The Classroom X -Factor: The Power of Body Language and Nonverbal Communication in Teaching’ (Routledge, 2011) and ’The Routledge Dictionary of Nonverbal Communication’ (Routledge, 2021).