How Language Began

The Story of Humanity's Greatest Invention

De: Daniel L. Everett

Narrado por: Jonathan Yen

Mankind has a distinct advantage over other terrestrial species: we talk to one another. But how did we acquire the most advanced form of communication on Earth? Daniel L. Everett, a "bombshell" linguist and "instant folk hero" (Tom Wolfe, Harper's), provides in this sweeping history a comprehensive examination of the evolutionary story of language, from the earliest speaking attempts by hominids to the more than 7,000 languages that exist today.

Although fossil hunters and linguists have brought us closer to unearthing the true origins of language, Daniel Everett's discoveries have upended the contemporary linguistic world, reverberating far beyond academic circles. While conducting field research in the Amazonian rainforest, Everett came across an age-old language nestled amongst a tribe of hunter-gatherers. Challenging long-standing principles in the field, Everett now builds on the theory that language was not intrinsic to our species. In order to truly understand its origins, a more interdisciplinary approach is needed - one that accounts as much for our propensity for culture as it does our biological makeup.

©2017 Daniel Everett (P)2018 Tantor

Eh

I've read better. I was pleasantly surprised in the narrator's correct pronunciation of all the phonemes.

Awesome

This book is brilliant. Many new ideas and concepts. The language is more than just words.

Fascinating

This book changed how I think about language. The performance was very engaging, and I think a good job was done of presenting multiple sides to an argument though he always does so prove his own point. Over all I learned a ton and want to dig deeper into topics brought up.

Everett's Ideas Are Revolutionary, but...

I struggled to finish this book because it is VERY repetitive, and I think it could have been structured better. Probably needs to be be re-edited and a second edition could be much better. The narrator, however, is fantastic.

Having said that, the Author's arguments were very persuasive, logical, and concrete in my opinion. He brings a lot to the table by his exposure to Amazonian tribes that he stayed with in Brazil, and learned their languages. All of the evidence to support his theory are in depth, and gave me the ability, as a non-scientist, to understand them well since he explains of the science behind the evidence that he is proposing.

0MG

Words alone cannot do this book justice. If you have a degree in any language, or even speak one, read this book.