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How Language Began: The Story of Humanity's Greatest Invention - Paperback | Diverse Reads

How Language Began: The Story of Humanity's Greatest Invention

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“Few books on the biological and cultural origin of humanity can be ranked as classics. I believe [this] will be one of them.” — Edward O. Wilson

At the time of its publication, How Language Began received high acclaim for capturing the fascinating history of mankind’s most incredible creation. Deemed a “bombshell” linguist and “instant folk hero” by Tom Wolfe (Harper’s), Daniel L. Everett posits that the near- 7,000 languages that exist today are not only the product of one million years of evolution but also have allowed us to become Earth’s apex predator. Tracing 60,000 generations, Everett debunks long- held theories across a spectrum of disciplines to affi rm the idea that we are not born with an instinct for language. Woven with anecdotes of his nearly forty years of fi eldwork amongst Amazonian hunter- gatherers, this is a “completely enthralling” (Spectator) exploration of our humanity and a landmark study of what makes us human.

“[An] ambitious text. . . . Everett’s amiable tone, and especially his captivating anecdotes . . . , will help the neophyte along.”— New York Times Book Review

ISBN-13: 9781631496264

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation

Publication Date: 12-17-2019

Pages: 352

Product Dimensions: 5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)

Daniel L. Everett is the Dean of Arts and Sciences at Bentley University. He has published over 100 articles and twelve books on linguistic theory, including The Dark Matter of the Mind: The Culturally Articulated Unconscious. He lives in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

List of Figures xi

Acknowledgements xiii

Preface xiv

Introduction 1

Part 1 The First Hominins

1 Rise of the Hominins 13

2 The Fossil Hunters 36

3 The Hominins Depart 48

4 Everyone Speaks Languages of Signs 65

Part 2 Human Biological Adaptations for Language

5 Humans Get a Better Brain 111

6 How the Brain Makes Language Possible 134

7 When the Brain Goes Wrong 160

8 Talking with Tongues 172

Part 3 The Evolution of Language Form

9 Where Grammar Came From 197

10 Talking with the Hands 229

11 Just Good Enough 249

Part 4 Cultural Evolution of Language

12 Communities and Communication 269

Conclusion 291

Suggested Reading 293

Notes 302

Index 309