Music, Language, and the Brain

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 528 pages
• Published by: Oxford University Press, USA
• Edition: 1st Edition December 7, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0195123751
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0195123753
• Book Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Weighs: 1.8 pounds

Product Review

"Music and language, two of the defining attributes of our species, share many similarities-but also major differences. Their relationship has provoked passionate debate since Darwin's time: which came first, and why? Aniruddh D. Patel has been a pioneer in the use of new concepts and technology to
investigate the neural correlates of music, but he is also a clear and engaging writer who makes his subject exciting and accessible. As a musician himself, and as one of our foremost neuroscientists, he brings a highly original mind to this complex and fascinating subject. His book is a major
synthesis that will be indispensable to neuroscientists, and a thought-provoking and illuminating exploration of the mental and neural foundations of music and language for anyone interested in the human brain."--Oliver Sacks
"This book is an intellectual tour de force, raising many more issues than recent popular worksAniruddh Patel offers a thorough analysis of music cognition and its relation to language, and outlines an ambitious and innovative research programme that deepens our understanding of cognition in
generalA work of exceptional scholarship and clarity."--Nature
"This book is a magnificent guide to what can sometimes be an inaccessible body of literature. Although popular books on this subject abound, Patel has provided an up-to-date and authoritative academic treatmentMusic, Language, and the Brain is an impressive feat of scholarship and comes highly
recommended."--Nature Neuroscience
"Patel's dissection of the multiple components of language and music cognition is elegant and deeply knowledgeable. His writing achieves a masterly balance. On the one hand he is bold and creative in uncovering and explaining important phenomena that link language and music. On the other hand he
displays true scientific humility in refusing to speculate too far beyond the known facts. In a subject area prone to superficiality and overstatement, Patel is a sure and trustworthy guide for how to make real progress in understanding these complex but fascinating phenomena."--John Sloboda,
Professor of Psychology, Keele University
"This book will be required reading for specialists, and interesting and informative reading for everyone. It manages to combine remarkable breadth of coverage with genuine depth of understanding, and it's clearly and elegantly written. The author has a clear point of view and wants to get it
across to other researchers, but never lets that get in the way of the book's more fundamental goal of putting the latest research within the reach of the interested non-specialist reader."--D.R. Ladd, Professor of Linguistics, University of Edinburgh
"Reading Patel's Music, Language, and the Brain is a deeply rewarding experience. The question of whether parallels exist between music and language has until now been a question of wide interest and speculation. This landmark monograph provides a detailed and informed framework for examining
this question scientifically. The presentation presumes no prior specialized knowledge and offers clear explanations of the technical ideas necessary inspiring agenda for future research, ranging from intriguing speculations to carefully-worked out experimental designs.Music, Language, and the
Brain will shape and inform research on the relationship between music and language for decades to come."--Carol L. Krumhansl, Prof. of Psychology, Cornell University


Product Description
In the first comprehensive study of the relationship between music and language from the standpoint of cognitive neuroscience, Aniruddh D. Patel challenges the widespread belief that music and language are processed independently. Since Plato's time, the relationship between music and language
has attracted interest and debate from a wide range of thinkers. Recently, scientific research on this topic has been growing rapidly, as scholars from diverse disciplines, including linguistics, cognitive science, music cognition, and neuroscience are drawn to the music-language interface as one
way to explore the extent to which different mental abilities are processed by separate brain mechanisms. Accordingly, the relevant data and theories have been spread across a range of disciplines. This volume provides the first synthesis, arguing that music and language share deep and critical
connections, and that comparative research provides a powerful way to study the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying these uniquely human abilities.

Reader Reviews
I bought Dr. Patel's book because of my lifelong love of music, and interest in how we learn, remember, and communicate music. As a non-musician, but sometime writer, I also have the same deep interests in language. This work is intended for the scholar, interested in learning about current research in acquisition of both language and music. In his introduction Dr. Patel clearly states that "...this book is written to be accessible to individuals with primary training in either music or language studies." This is an accurate description of the work. The book is densely annotated, an asset to scholars and researchers. The form of annotation, however, is a hindrance to fluid reading of the thesis of the work. I had a particular interest in finding Dr. Patel's comments on memory for language and music. Although there is a complete index to this work, the word "memory" does not appear in it. Neither does the topic of Memory appear in the book's well-outlined structure. The work is entirely about acquisition of language and music, and the neurological research which has identified those processes. As a (retired) psychologist I found the book understandable, but do not recommend it for lay persons to read, no matter how strong their interest in music or language. Merle Fischlowitz, Ph.D. Comment | | (Report this)