Review of: The Origin of Vowel Systems, Bart de Boer, xiii + 168 pp., Oxford University Press, 2001

This book presents a comprehensive investigation into the emergence of sheared vowel systems in a population of simulated language users. De Boer shows clearly and convincingly how simple interactions between individuals can result in the development of linguistically plausible vowel systems, without any need for innate pre-specification or centralised control.