#276 Daniel Everett: The Evolution and Varieties of Language, and the Pirahã
RECORDED ON OCTOBER 21st, 2019.
Dr. Daniel Everett is Trustee Professor of Cognitive Sciences at Bentley University. He holds a ScD and a Masters of Linguistics from the Universidade Estadual in Campinas (UNICAMP). He is well-known for his many years of field research among the Pirahã people of the Brazilian Amazon jungle. Dr. Everett’s books include Dark Matter of the Mind: The Culturally Articulated Unconscious, and How Language Began: The Story of Humanity’s Greatest Invention.
In this episode, we talk about linguistics, and the Pirahã. First, Dr. Everett distinguishes between communication and language. He also refers to issues with Universal Grammar, and gives us his account of why H. erectus should have been the first hominin to have language. We talk about the biological tools needed for language, and the limitations in other primates’ use of sign language. We refer to three different types of language (G1, G2, and G3), cultural evolution, the universal traits of language, and difficulties in distinguishing between different languages. We discuss the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, and if there is evidence that language influences thinking. Finally, in the last ten minutes, Dr. Everett talks about the Pirahã society, their culture and language.
Time Links:
Communication and language
The evolutionary bases of language, and issues with Universal Grammar
Did H. erectus have language?
The biological tools needed for language
About primates that learned sign language
G1, G2, and G3 types of language
Cultural evolution in language
Universal traits of language
The difficulty in distinguishing different languages
Does language influence thinking?
The Pirahã, their culture, and their language
Follow Dr. Everett’s work!
Follow Dr. Everett’s work:
Faculty page: http://bit.ly/2k4ldgo
Personal website: http://bit.ly/2VYqKn4
ResearchGate profile: http://bit.ly/2lDCv4c
Books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2lzXu8h
How Language Began: The Story of Humanity’s Greatest Invention: https://amzn.to/2pCdfNS
Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle: https://amzn.to/2qsvRAg