Daniel L. Everett – How Language Began: The Story of Humanity's Greatest Invention (Part 2)

Humanity has a distinct advantage over other terrestrial species: we talk to each other. But how did we acquire the most advanced form of communication on Earth? Daniel L. Everett, "bombshell" linguist and "instant folk hero" (Tom Wolfe, Harper's), offers in this vast history a comprehensive examination of the evolutionary history of language, from the first attempts at speech by hominids to the more than seven thousand languages that exist today.

Although fossil hunters and linguists have brought us closer to discovering the true origins of language, Daniel Everett's discoveries have shaken up the contemporary linguistic world, reverberating far beyond academic circles. While conducting field research in the Amazon rainforest, Everett stumbled upon an centuries-old language nestled within a tribe of hunter-gatherers. Questioning long-standing principles in the field, Everett now relied on the theory that language was not intrinsic to our species. In order to truly understand its origins, a more interdisciplinary approach is necessary, one that takes into account our cultural propensity as much as our biological makeup.

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