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dayvyjones's review
3.0
How Language Began was a pleasant read, although I'll say it's not my favorite area of linguistics. Daniel L. Everett is a fantastic, and certainly brilliant author. Some of this book did drag for me, but I appreciate Everett's appreciation for where humans came from.
bioniclib's review
3.0
I looked at my notes and cast about for someway to pull them together into a narrative synopsis but couldn't find one. I'm not a philologist. Then I realized, why should I even try? The listicle is a very popular way to relay oodles of facts. So that's what I've done. Though certainly not as succinctly as is the norm.
“Science is not about finding a ‘true’ theory. It is about finding the best theory, as scientists grop their way towards understanding.” (14)
I’ve been reading a lot on linguistics and still get confused with terminology. He breaks down a bunch of ‘em for me (15):
Term = Study of...
Semantics = meaning
Pragmatics = usage
Phonetics = sounds themselves
Grammar = Syntax, sentence structure
Phonology = sound structure
Morphology = word structure
Language is invention not evolution. (18)
The Great Rift Valley is a place in Africa where new tectonic plates are being formed. It’s also where the first hominin fossils were found. (36) See more: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/rift-valley/
Hans Reck and Louis Leaky helped found paleoanthropology. (37)
“Humans are the most intelligent animals. This may not be saying much. After all, our intelligence is the reason we murder one another and fight wars. Our brains are a mixed blessing. Jellyfish get along quite nicely without brains.” (42)
On January 1st 1987, a paper by “Rebecca L. Cann, Mark Stoneking, and Allan Wilson argued that genetic evidence clearly established that the DNA of all current Homo Sapiens traces back to a single female’s mitochondrial DNA about 200,000 years ago in Africa.” The finding of this “Mitochondrial Eve” uses something called a “molecular clock”. (47) It’s beyond me exactly how this was done, even though Mr. Everett describes the process. It won’t be the last time I drown in the stream of scientific explanations. I enjoyed this book but it was too science-y for my poor little brain at times.
Homo Erectus came after Homo Sapiens. (48)
Erectus were sailors and contrary to popular thought had a spoken language. (62)
“...language arises from human invention, history, and physical and cognitive evolution.” (65)
He argues against what he calls the “X-Men” theory (aka sudden mutation) of language origin. (71)
Some people posit that we think in pictures not words. (76) If this is true then the belief that language formed to express thoughts is problematic. It also puts another mark in the thought that deaf people need to speak to accurately express their thoughts. He repeatedly brings up sign languages to show how they too fit into everything (save phonologies) about his ideas of where language comes from. I appreciate this very much.
There are 3 Hypotheses of language development (78-9)
Grammar came last
= Symbols were augmented by grammar
Grammar came first
= Only when symbols/gestures are arranged in a clear manner can meaning be derived. So without grammar already there to do this there is no language.
Grammar came later
= Symbols and grammar developed separately. Then when they were put together we get language.
Prepositions with less semantic content, like “to”, are shorter than those with more, like “beyond”. (83)
Nothing in the body is solely dedicated to language. Reading isn’t natural and “every part of the vocal apparatus has a non-speech related function.” (89)
“Language as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts. When we hear our native language we do not hear grammar or particular sounds or meanings, we hear and instantly understand what is being said as a while, individually and together in a conversation or story.” (105)
“Eugenics advocated the improvement of human genetic heritage, but by failing to recognise the power of culture in shaping our evolution, eugenics had it wrong. Culture not only is the key to improving the species and the survivability of all, but also has liberated us from the strictly biological.” (120)
The location and even the language function of Broca’s area isn’t as widely accepted anymore. (132)
If a person is young enough, damage to Broca’s area leaves language alone. (138)
Warnicke’s area, too, has been called into doubt. (137)
THe brain is complex that “there isn’t even a list of basic parts...that neuroscientists agree on.” (143)
The brain doesn’t contain a mind or a soul. (143) How very Zen!
The brain has its own immune system. (144)
Brain topography is like fingerprints, no two are exactly alike. (147)
Homo Erectus, not Homo Sapiens, were the first humans to have language. Though it was not as complex as Sapiens’ would eventually become. (149)
Chomsky’s Merge concept isn’t grammar, it’s a form of associative learning. (150)
“Language is an invention. The brain is no more specialised for language than toolmaking.” (171)
Speech takes over 100 muscles; larynx, lungs, diaphragm, intercostals (ribs), and orofacial. (174)
The Adam’s Apple IS the larynx. (189) I don’t know why I didn’t know this!
Infants’ larynx rise when they breath, blocking the trachea. So, like chimps, they can eat and breath at the same time. The larynx descends as we age and so we lose this ability. (191)
There are super-vowels, “i”, “a’, and “u” which are found in all languages. (192) Though no capes are to be found.
A full language = symbols (aka words) + gestures + intonation. (204)
When they were being developed, environmental conditions affect languages as much as culture. (211)
Gestures are so ingrained in language that even the blind use them. (238)
Speech and gestures co-evolved. Gesture-based sign language didn’t come first and then speech. (239) This is another strike against the inferiority of sign languages.
Paul Grice’s “Cooperative Principle” of communication (252-6)
Maxim of Quality
= what a person tells you is true
Maxim of Quantity
= a person doesn’t give you TMI nor too little info
Maxim of Relevance
= a person’s answer is on topic with the question
Maxim of Manner
= a person is clear...this one went on for pages and, ironically, wasn’t clear.
In 1686, German Andreas Jaeger and in 1767, Frenchman Gaston-Laurent Coeurdoux both proposed a common language but Englishman William Jones (in 1786) gets all the credit for the idea of Proto-Indo-European. (270)
“Science is not about finding a ‘true’ theory. It is about finding the best theory, as scientists grop their way towards understanding.” (14)
I’ve been reading a lot on linguistics and still get confused with terminology. He breaks down a bunch of ‘em for me (15):
Term = Study of...
Semantics = meaning
Pragmatics = usage
Phonetics = sounds themselves
Grammar = Syntax, sentence structure
Phonology = sound structure
Morphology = word structure
Language is invention not evolution. (18)
The Great Rift Valley is a place in Africa where new tectonic plates are being formed. It’s also where the first hominin fossils were found. (36) See more: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/rift-valley/
Hans Reck and Louis Leaky helped found paleoanthropology. (37)
“Humans are the most intelligent animals. This may not be saying much. After all, our intelligence is the reason we murder one another and fight wars. Our brains are a mixed blessing. Jellyfish get along quite nicely without brains.” (42)
On January 1st 1987, a paper by “Rebecca L. Cann, Mark Stoneking, and Allan Wilson argued that genetic evidence clearly established that the DNA of all current Homo Sapiens traces back to a single female’s mitochondrial DNA about 200,000 years ago in Africa.” The finding of this “Mitochondrial Eve” uses something called a “molecular clock”. (47) It’s beyond me exactly how this was done, even though Mr. Everett describes the process. It won’t be the last time I drown in the stream of scientific explanations. I enjoyed this book but it was too science-y for my poor little brain at times.
Homo Erectus came after Homo Sapiens. (48)
Erectus were sailors and contrary to popular thought had a spoken language. (62)
“...language arises from human invention, history, and physical and cognitive evolution.” (65)
He argues against what he calls the “X-Men” theory (aka sudden mutation) of language origin. (71)
Some people posit that we think in pictures not words. (76) If this is true then the belief that language formed to express thoughts is problematic. It also puts another mark in the thought that deaf people need to speak to accurately express their thoughts. He repeatedly brings up sign languages to show how they too fit into everything (save phonologies) about his ideas of where language comes from. I appreciate this very much.
There are 3 Hypotheses of language development (78-9)
Grammar came last
= Symbols were augmented by grammar
Grammar came first
= Only when symbols/gestures are arranged in a clear manner can meaning be derived. So without grammar already there to do this there is no language.
Grammar came later
= Symbols and grammar developed separately. Then when they were put together we get language.
Prepositions with less semantic content, like “to”, are shorter than those with more, like “beyond”. (83)
Nothing in the body is solely dedicated to language. Reading isn’t natural and “every part of the vocal apparatus has a non-speech related function.” (89)
“Language as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts. When we hear our native language we do not hear grammar or particular sounds or meanings, we hear and instantly understand what is being said as a while, individually and together in a conversation or story.” (105)
“Eugenics advocated the improvement of human genetic heritage, but by failing to recognise the power of culture in shaping our evolution, eugenics had it wrong. Culture not only is the key to improving the species and the survivability of all, but also has liberated us from the strictly biological.” (120)
The location and even the language function of Broca’s area isn’t as widely accepted anymore. (132)
If a person is young enough, damage to Broca’s area leaves language alone. (138)
Warnicke’s area, too, has been called into doubt. (137)
THe brain is complex that “there isn’t even a list of basic parts...that neuroscientists agree on.” (143)
The brain doesn’t contain a mind or a soul. (143) How very Zen!
The brain has its own immune system. (144)
Brain topography is like fingerprints, no two are exactly alike. (147)
Homo Erectus, not Homo Sapiens, were the first humans to have language. Though it was not as complex as Sapiens’ would eventually become. (149)
Chomsky’s Merge concept isn’t grammar, it’s a form of associative learning. (150)
“Language is an invention. The brain is no more specialised for language than toolmaking.” (171)
Speech takes over 100 muscles; larynx, lungs, diaphragm, intercostals (ribs), and orofacial. (174)
The Adam’s Apple IS the larynx. (189) I don’t know why I didn’t know this!
Infants’ larynx rise when they breath, blocking the trachea. So, like chimps, they can eat and breath at the same time. The larynx descends as we age and so we lose this ability. (191)
There are super-vowels, “i”, “a’, and “u” which are found in all languages. (192) Though no capes are to be found.
A full language = symbols (aka words) + gestures + intonation. (204)
When they were being developed, environmental conditions affect languages as much as culture. (211)
Gestures are so ingrained in language that even the blind use them. (238)
Speech and gestures co-evolved. Gesture-based sign language didn’t come first and then speech. (239) This is another strike against the inferiority of sign languages.
Paul Grice’s “Cooperative Principle” of communication (252-6)
Maxim of Quality
= what a person tells you is true
Maxim of Quantity
= a person doesn’t give you TMI nor too little info
Maxim of Relevance
= a person’s answer is on topic with the question
Maxim of Manner
= a person is clear...this one went on for pages and, ironically, wasn’t clear.
In 1686, German Andreas Jaeger and in 1767, Frenchman Gaston-Laurent Coeurdoux both proposed a common language but Englishman William Jones (in 1786) gets all the credit for the idea of Proto-Indo-European. (270)
loki_io_23's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
2.75
ameyawarde's review
4.0
Tons of super interesting information in here, though I, an autistic, had to FF through his chapter on autism. His heart was in the right place, but he only called us "autism sufferers" (a million times), and conflated autism & savant syndrome and... it just, got uncomfortable.
Which is too bad because other parts of his book, where he didn't even mention autism, i found extremely relevant to some of the conversations we have about language difficulties in the autism community these days, such as the DRASTIC variation in language skills among us-- some with very "stereotypical" autistic difficulties (such as not understanding subtlety or metaphor or what is left unspoken, etc etc) while others are better at language than neurotypicals in every conceivable way, and are even prolific and lauded authors.
But recently online somewhere a fellow autistic brought up the question of what if some of the "autistic language difficulties" aren't from inherent neurological differences themselves (unlike other aspects of autism) but side effects from the reduced socialization many autistics get from being ostracized from peers and even adults? Most of my family and friends are autistic and the kids, moving closer to puberty now, have had less and less of those language issues as they've gotten older (and I do very explicitly teach them all the language things I recognize they don't pick up as automatically as NT kids).. Anyway they last bit of of this book talked quite a bit about that without mentioning autism, and I do want to get an ebook version (i listened to the audiobook) so I can pull some quotes and hunt down citations and stuff because it sounded like he made some good points.
tl;dr - some accidental but not hateful abelism, a lot of other reviewers who take issues with some of his points (tho he does do a better job at mentioning the points of those who disagrees with him than most authors, who don't do it at all), but overall I think it's a really good and thorough history of human language.
Which is too bad because other parts of his book, where he didn't even mention autism, i found extremely relevant to some of the conversations we have about language difficulties in the autism community these days, such as the DRASTIC variation in language skills among us-- some with very "stereotypical" autistic difficulties (such as not understanding subtlety or metaphor or what is left unspoken, etc etc) while others are better at language than neurotypicals in every conceivable way, and are even prolific and lauded authors.
But recently online somewhere a fellow autistic brought up the question of what if some of the "autistic language difficulties" aren't from inherent neurological differences themselves (unlike other aspects of autism) but side effects from the reduced socialization many autistics get from being ostracized from peers and even adults? Most of my family and friends are autistic and the kids, moving closer to puberty now, have had less and less of those language issues as they've gotten older (and I do very explicitly teach them all the language things I recognize they don't pick up as automatically as NT kids).. Anyway they last bit of of this book talked quite a bit about that without mentioning autism, and I do want to get an ebook version (i listened to the audiobook) so I can pull some quotes and hunt down citations and stuff because it sounded like he made some good points.
tl;dr - some accidental but not hateful abelism, a lot of other reviewers who take issues with some of his points (tho he does do a better job at mentioning the points of those who disagrees with him than most authors, who don't do it at all), but overall I think it's a really good and thorough history of human language.
aidaninasia's review
5.0
I am so grateful to Dr. Everett for his wonderful work. The first time I came across Chomsky's work was when I was an education major, his theory of innatism never sat well with me but I felt that I must be crazy to question such a "great" linguist as he. Thankfully I was introduced to Everett's opposing theory a short while later and my heart shall never stop singing his praises.