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Converging Evidence in Language and Communication Research #5
The Dawn of Language: Axes, Lies, Midwifery and How We Came to Talk
Drawing on evidence from many fields, including archaeology, anthropology, neurology and linguistics, Sverker Johansson weaves these disparate threads together to show how our human ancestors evolved into language users. The Dawn of Language provides a fascinating survey of how grammar came into being and the differences or similarities between languages spoken around the world, before exploring how language eventually emerged in the very remote human past.
Our intellectual and physiological changes through the process of evolution both have a bearing on our ability to acquire language. But to what extent is the evolution of language dependent on genes, or on environment? How has language evolved further, and how is it changing now, in the process of globalisation? And which aspects of language ensure that robots are not yet intelligent enough to reconstruct how language has evolved?
Johansson's far-reaching, authoritative and research-based approach to language is brought to life through dozens of astonishing examples, both human and animal, in a fascinatingly erudite and entertaining volume for anyone who has ever contemplated not just why we speak the way we do, but why we speak at all.
Our intellectual and physiological changes through the process of evolution both have a bearing on our ability to acquire language. But to what extent is the evolution of language dependent on genes, or on environment? How has language evolved further, and how is it changing now, in the process of globalisation? And which aspects of language ensure that robots are not yet intelligent enough to reconstruct how language has evolved?
Johansson's far-reaching, authoritative and research-based approach to language is brought to life through dozens of astonishing examples, both human and animal, in a fascinatingly erudite and entertaining volume for anyone who has ever contemplated not just why we speak the way we do, but why we speak at all.
400 pages, Paperback
First published May 18, 2019
159 people are currently reading
1643 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
September 30, 2022
i’m always going to be a nerd for things like this.
language, words, and etymologies have been an interest of mine since childhood and the origins of something, be it the origin of the Universe or a nation, a rock or a system of thought is one of the most interesting things to learn about (isn’t it.?); so when i saw a book on the origins of language i immediately picked it up.
the book is divided into three main parts meant to set up a few generalities about language, to review the (biological) necessities for language to emerge, and lastly show how all the pieces fall into place and lead to the actual origins.
Sverker Johansson uses knowledge from various fields and presents different theories and interpretations to give the reader a complete picture of the work that has been done in studying the origins of language while covering the various aspects/faces of the problem.
the book is well structured (even though i had at some point some issues with this very matter) and insightful. it’s a good summary of our current knowledge on the subject and has some sensible conclusions. as a popular, non-scholarly book it accomplishes what it sets to.
also, my appreciation to Cristian Iscrulescu who did an outstanding job at translating and contextualizing this book from Swedish and into Romanian.
language, words, and etymologies have been an interest of mine since childhood and the origins of something, be it the origin of the Universe or a nation, a rock or a system of thought is one of the most interesting things to learn about (isn’t it.?); so when i saw a book on the origins of language i immediately picked it up.
the book is divided into three main parts meant to set up a few generalities about language, to review the (biological) necessities for language to emerge, and lastly show how all the pieces fall into place and lead to the actual origins.
Sverker Johansson uses knowledge from various fields and presents different theories and interpretations to give the reader a complete picture of the work that has been done in studying the origins of language while covering the various aspects/faces of the problem.
the book is well structured (even though i had at some point some issues with this very matter) and insightful. it’s a good summary of our current knowledge on the subject and has some sensible conclusions. as a popular, non-scholarly book it accomplishes what it sets to.
also, my appreciation to Cristian Iscrulescu who did an outstanding job at translating and contextualizing this book from Swedish and into Romanian.
November 22, 2022
Folosind, printre altele, antropologia, genetica și neurologia ca dalte, autorul încearcă să sculpteze o istorie a limbajului, bazându-se (evident) pe teorii înaintate de alții, dar și pe propriile-i presupuneri pe care le argumentează cu succes, unele dintre părându-mi-se fascinante. A fost o lectură interesantă, însă și destul de obositoare pentru mine. Mi-a amintit de O scurtă istorie a minții, pentru că William H. Calvin și are același stil dens și ușor greoi, chiar dacă limbajul este accesibil. Dacă vreți să o citiți pentru că vreți să aflați mai multe despre modificările creierului de-a lungul timpului, atunci recomand mai degrabă cartea lui Calvin. Dacă nu vă dați ochii peste cap, când auziți de multă antropologie (cum fac eu, fără jenă), atunci votez cu aceasta. Ce mai voiam să zic... E uluitor cât de mult a evoluat limbajul și cum limbile continuă să se îmbogățească, iar noi trimitem mesaje doar cu emoticoane. Oare ce spune asta despre noi, lăsând la o parte că ne grăbim parcă din reflex, nu doar din nevoie? Recenzia aici: http://bit.ly/3UVRUsH.
„Pentru a-i înțelege originea, trebuie să înțelegem limbajul însuși, structura și natura lui, dar trebuie să înțelegem și natura omului și originea sa evolutivă. Trebuie să înțelegem cum gândim și cum ne funcționează creierul. Pentru a răspunde la întrebarea de ce oamenii posedă limbaj trebuie să acordăm atenție unei mulțimi de domenii diferite – nu numai lingvisticii pure, ci și biologiei evoluționiste, paleoantropologiei, arheologiei, primatologiei, geneticii, anatomiei, etologiei, neuroștiințelor, cercetărilor din domeniul cogniției, psihologiei și antropologiei sociale, pentru a nu le menționa decât pe cele mai importante.''
„Pentru a-i înțelege originea, trebuie să înțelegem limbajul însuși, structura și natura lui, dar trebuie să înțelegem și natura omului și originea sa evolutivă. Trebuie să înțelegem cum gândim și cum ne funcționează creierul. Pentru a răspunde la întrebarea de ce oamenii posedă limbaj trebuie să acordăm atenție unei mulțimi de domenii diferite – nu numai lingvisticii pure, ci și biologiei evoluționiste, paleoantropologiei, arheologiei, primatologiei, geneticii, anatomiei, etologiei, neuroștiințelor, cercetărilor din domeniul cogniției, psihologiei și antropologiei sociale, pentru a nu le menționa decât pe cele mai importante.''
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April 18, 2023I was reading this as an ebook but at the 60% mark the text was starting to sitt very weirdly so it was difficult to read. So I'm dnfing it
December 23, 2021
It is a very rare thing indeed for me to read a non-fiction book that I enjoy this much, but then I have always been fascinated by the topic of language, including especially the unanswered question of how human beings originally acquired/developed language. This book presents a fairly comprehensive view of all of the many factors that contributed to that development. It is both educational and entertaining.
November 26, 2023
Sverker Johansson – I like this guy! He writes with gusto and conviction, he doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to presenting his own opinion, but he also openly admits where knowledge is lacking or unattainable. He’s certainly not a fan of Chomsky’s theory of innate ‘grammar module’ that evolved at a single stroke; he firmly stands behind the theory of gradual evolution.
Being no expert on the subject, I can’t make any definite judgments, but I guess there’s no harm in saying that I find Johansson’s arguments thoroughly convincing.
There are plenty of other things to like about this book: the way it is neatly put together, the language that is mostly clear and accessible to a lay reader, the breadth of the presented matter. I like the open-minded attitude regarding communication codes in other animals (“the difference between us and other animals appears to be more a question of degree than of kind”), and the recognition of the fact that negative results are also important in science (“knowing what does not work also contributes to our overall knowledge”).
Admittedly, there is very little referencing, and only short bibliographies for each chapter at the end of the book, so there’s no detailed substantiation handy for quite a few definite statements you come across. I’m sure there’s a lot of discussion on the nuts and bolts at the professional level in academic journals, but these are only occasionally reflected upon in the book. This is, however, quite a standard approach in popular science books, so no complaints there – just saying that if you want finer details, you’ll need to go digging further.
Being no expert on the subject, I can’t make any definite judgments, but I guess there’s no harm in saying that I find Johansson’s arguments thoroughly convincing.
There are plenty of other things to like about this book: the way it is neatly put together, the language that is mostly clear and accessible to a lay reader, the breadth of the presented matter. I like the open-minded attitude regarding communication codes in other animals (“the difference between us and other animals appears to be more a question of degree than of kind”), and the recognition of the fact that negative results are also important in science (“knowing what does not work also contributes to our overall knowledge”).
Admittedly, there is very little referencing, and only short bibliographies for each chapter at the end of the book, so there’s no detailed substantiation handy for quite a few definite statements you come across. I’m sure there’s a lot of discussion on the nuts and bolts at the professional level in academic journals, but these are only occasionally reflected upon in the book. This is, however, quite a standard approach in popular science books, so no complaints there – just saying that if you want finer details, you’ll need to go digging further.
January 18, 2024
This book is about language development in homo sapiens. It is a well-researched detailed account that humans have taken over hundreds of thousands of years. I like it because the author is Swedish and not typically American or English as many anthropological books are authored by. And congratulations to the translator, Frank Perry.
Johansson takes the reader on a journey where he considers the oral/language skills of other animals. From songbirds to whales and onto our closet relative, the primates.
He then reviews Neanderthals, Denisovans, down to modern humans and the development of language. He argues that language development in humans was closely linked to the increase size of the human brain. He discusses why the need for language was probably the driving force for humans to start to communicate with each other. He touches on how other animals communicated.
I found Johansson’s explanation of how homo sapiens came out of Africa and then mixed with Neanderthals and this has been proven by genetic analysis. Australian Aborigines have DNA from both origins.
Johansson believes that it was the need for humans to co-operate that led to language. He used the story that because human children are difficult to deliver at birth females needed help in the process of delivery and this is where mothers and grandmothers would have worked together to assist in the birth.
From my early days at university studying linguistics, I accepted Noam Chomsky’s generative grammar theory that hypothesized that grammatical structure was innate in the human brain. Johansson argues against this theory.
Something that he doesn’t discuss is the evolution of the human voice and the role the larynx, the voice box and the vocal cords that allow humans to make such an incredible range of sounds.
Naturally the book does not supply a definitive answer as to when and how humans started to use language. Evidently, he does have a future publication that looks into the formation of the thousands of languages they have existed and exist today.
Johansson takes the reader on a journey where he considers the oral/language skills of other animals. From songbirds to whales and onto our closet relative, the primates.
He then reviews Neanderthals, Denisovans, down to modern humans and the development of language. He argues that language development in humans was closely linked to the increase size of the human brain. He discusses why the need for language was probably the driving force for humans to start to communicate with each other. He touches on how other animals communicated.
I found Johansson’s explanation of how homo sapiens came out of Africa and then mixed with Neanderthals and this has been proven by genetic analysis. Australian Aborigines have DNA from both origins.
Johansson believes that it was the need for humans to co-operate that led to language. He used the story that because human children are difficult to deliver at birth females needed help in the process of delivery and this is where mothers and grandmothers would have worked together to assist in the birth.
From my early days at university studying linguistics, I accepted Noam Chomsky’s generative grammar theory that hypothesized that grammatical structure was innate in the human brain. Johansson argues against this theory.
Something that he doesn’t discuss is the evolution of the human voice and the role the larynx, the voice box and the vocal cords that allow humans to make such an incredible range of sounds.
Naturally the book does not supply a definitive answer as to when and how humans started to use language. Evidently, he does have a future publication that looks into the formation of the thousands of languages they have existed and exist today.
December 20, 2021
This is an extremely engaging overview of what is known, speculated and assumed about the history of language. I was absorbed the whole way, and appreciated the diversity of material covered, from how we produce sounds through to the genetic evidence for language and delving into neuroscience. And of course, there is linguistics. Johansson has opinions on all of this, which he puts front and centre - and he handily summarises them in the epilogue (hint: he likes Chomsky's politics better than his theories of language). There is nothing wrong with a nicely opinionated book, but the absence of any references to speak of here make it a bit "huh"
Often I agreed with his viewpoint - "while heredity lays down a basic functionality, it also provides a mechanism for picking up the signals from the environment so that the body can react appropriately to it. For this reason, it is misleading to talk about heredity or environment." - but more often I was uncertain or lacking in information (there are only occasional references to songbirds, much of which seemed more dismissive than recent findings would support).
There's no way to understand what he is drawing on or to look for a contrary view until you get to the bibliography (I did buy another four books from that, so…)
Often I agreed with his viewpoint - "while heredity lays down a basic functionality, it also provides a mechanism for picking up the signals from the environment so that the body can react appropriately to it. For this reason, it is misleading to talk about heredity or environment." - but more often I was uncertain or lacking in information (there are only occasional references to songbirds, much of which seemed more dismissive than recent findings would support).
There's no way to understand what he is drawing on or to look for a contrary view until you get to the bibliography (I did buy another four books from that, so…)
September 30, 2021
Vanuit mijn studie is dit een goede aanvulling en samenkomst van theorieën en studies. Een aantal zaken zijn alleen niet concreet of feitelijk onderbouwd om aangenomen te worden als waarheid. All in all een goed boek voor mensen die een interesse hebben in taal.
October 5, 2021
It was great until the author claimed that babies can swallow milk and breathe at the same time (no mammal can do this, ever).
June 23, 2025
¡Que maravilla de libro! ¡Que historia más fascinante y bien contada la que contiene!
La primera sorpresa que me lleve al poco tiempo de conocer el libro es que su autor era un colega. Sverker Johansson es un físico que empezó su carrera trabajando en física de partículas (como fue mi caso también) un área que abandonó posteriormente para dedicarse a la investigación sobre el origen del lenguaje. Esta es una historia profesional que demuestra que nadie esta condenado a morir en la misma pequeña parcela de conocimiento en la que se formó o especializó.
Lo mencionó porque no sé si es por tener una formación como físico (me inclinó a creer que sí, pero tal vez estén hablando los sesgos de gremio) pero la manera en la que el profesor Johansson desarrolla su propia versión de la Historia de como los humanos llegamos a adquirir el lenguaje es fantástica y muy comprensible.
Sospecho que es su formación profesional de base la que le hace escribir un libro con esta claridad, porque es justamente la física la que nos enseña a simplificar la naturaleza para encontrar los mecanismos subyacentes de una gran diversidad de fenómenos y una vez hallados reconstruir un relato coherente y sencillo sobre cómo a partir de esos surge la complejidad observada del mundo. Claro que esto no es exclusivo de la física, pero no hay duda que las personas con el mayor dominio de este tipo de indagación están en esa área del conocimiento.
Creo entonces que ese es uno de los secretos que hace de este un libro realmente maravilloso.
El libro se divide en 3 partes, cuál de ellas más interesante. La primera parte presenta algunos fundamentos de lingüística necesarios para moverse en la terminología del resto del libro. Hace mucho que no leía por placer sobre categorías gramaticales, morfemas, prosodia, lexemas, etc. En la segunda parte se dedica a presentar una versión muy original sobre el origen de nuestra especie, por supuesto en relaci��n con el del lenguaje que le caracteriza. La tercera y más importante parte de las tres aborda finalmente y con maestría las principales teorías sobre la manera como nuestra especie consiguió sobresalir por encima de las de otros animales por su peculiar lenguaje.
Me encantó la manera como Johansson ilustra muchas de las cuestiones fundamentales del libro presentando situaciones hipotéticas o reales: una conversación con su hija de cuatro años, un grupo de Homo sapiens reunidos hace 100 000 años alrededor de la cacería de rinocerontes lanudos, el baile de dos cefalópodos que cambian sus patrones corporales en una forma de comunicación visual muy única, un grupo de monos cantores que comparten la rama de un baobab hace dos millones de años, etc. ¡Que buen recurso divulgativo!
Para las personas amantes de la divulgación científica y de la historia de la humanidad en general, este es un libro obligado. ¡No tiene página mala!
La primera sorpresa que me lleve al poco tiempo de conocer el libro es que su autor era un colega. Sverker Johansson es un físico que empezó su carrera trabajando en física de partículas (como fue mi caso también) un área que abandonó posteriormente para dedicarse a la investigación sobre el origen del lenguaje. Esta es una historia profesional que demuestra que nadie esta condenado a morir en la misma pequeña parcela de conocimiento en la que se formó o especializó.
Lo mencionó porque no sé si es por tener una formación como físico (me inclinó a creer que sí, pero tal vez estén hablando los sesgos de gremio) pero la manera en la que el profesor Johansson desarrolla su propia versión de la Historia de como los humanos llegamos a adquirir el lenguaje es fantástica y muy comprensible.
Sospecho que es su formación profesional de base la que le hace escribir un libro con esta claridad, porque es justamente la física la que nos enseña a simplificar la naturaleza para encontrar los mecanismos subyacentes de una gran diversidad de fenómenos y una vez hallados reconstruir un relato coherente y sencillo sobre cómo a partir de esos surge la complejidad observada del mundo. Claro que esto no es exclusivo de la física, pero no hay duda que las personas con el mayor dominio de este tipo de indagación están en esa área del conocimiento.
Creo entonces que ese es uno de los secretos que hace de este un libro realmente maravilloso.
El libro se divide en 3 partes, cuál de ellas más interesante. La primera parte presenta algunos fundamentos de lingüística necesarios para moverse en la terminología del resto del libro. Hace mucho que no leía por placer sobre categorías gramaticales, morfemas, prosodia, lexemas, etc. En la segunda parte se dedica a presentar una versión muy original sobre el origen de nuestra especie, por supuesto en relaci��n con el del lenguaje que le caracteriza. La tercera y más importante parte de las tres aborda finalmente y con maestría las principales teorías sobre la manera como nuestra especie consiguió sobresalir por encima de las de otros animales por su peculiar lenguaje.
Me encantó la manera como Johansson ilustra muchas de las cuestiones fundamentales del libro presentando situaciones hipotéticas o reales: una conversación con su hija de cuatro años, un grupo de Homo sapiens reunidos hace 100 000 años alrededor de la cacería de rinocerontes lanudos, el baile de dos cefalópodos que cambian sus patrones corporales en una forma de comunicación visual muy única, un grupo de monos cantores que comparten la rama de un baobab hace dos millones de años, etc. ¡Que buen recurso divulgativo!
Para las personas amantes de la divulgación científica y de la historia de la humanidad en general, este es un libro obligado. ¡No tiene página mala!
October 23, 2023
În ce chip a apărut limbajul la homo sapiens este, așa cum am spus și în altă parte, o întrebare fără răspuns. Tot ceea ce avem, deocamdată, este o sumă de ipteze. Cea mai proeminentă dintre ele se sprijină pe teoriile lui Noam Chomsky. Limbajul a apărut brusc, în urma unei mutații genetice. Evoluția limbajului nu a fost una de ordin cumulativ, de la interjecții la verbe și nume, de la cuvinte izolate la construcții mai fine și mai complicate (sintagme, propoziții, fraze).
Așadar, Sverker Johansson nu împărtășește ipoteza saltului genetic, a „creației ex nihilo”. Limbajul s-a constituit treptat și e de presupus că rudimente de limbaj au apărut odată cu homo erectus. La omul de Neanderthal, prezența limbajului, dacă e să-l credem pe Johansson, este o certitudine. Și asta nu numai pentru că omul de Neanderthal a „descoperit” arta, fiind autorul desenelor rupestre din peștera Chauvet, de exemplu, ci și pentru că în genomul omului de azi există un procent semnificativ de „secvențe neanderthaliene”. Cele două specii umane au coexistat în Europa (Spania, Franța) cîteva mii de ani (nimeni nu se mai îndoiește de asta) și s-au încrucișat între ele (a se vedea și Dimitra Papagianni & Michael A. Morse, Omul de Neanderthal, București: Corint, 2018). Încrucișarea nu ar fi fost posibilă dacă omul de Neanderthal nu ar fi avut deja un limbaj (fie și rudimentar), căci relațiile nu au fost sporadice și nici întîmplătoare. Argumentul e convingător, chiar dacă nu e (și nu are cum fi) decisiv și definitiv. Dovezile sînt concludente, dar nu și suficiente. Mulți specialiști continuă să se îndoiască de faptul că omul de Neanderthal putea vorbi. Încă nu există consens.
Apariția limbajului la speciile umane presupune cooperare, încredere și sinceritate între indivizi. Limbajul e un instrument absolut necesar pentru a împărtăși informații vitale: de unde vine pericolul, unde e hrana. Nu vom ști niciodată ce limbi vorbeau oamenii cu 12 mii de ani în urmă. Dar există dovezi (anatomice, genetice, neurologice) că foloseau un limbaj. Iar acest limbaj s-a constituit treptat, a fost atomistic (cumulativ, am spus eu) și nu a avut nevoie de o mutație genetică. Pentru a afla cum era „limba primordială”, citiți secțiunea de „întrebări și răspunsuri” care începe la pagina 384.
O lucrare cel puțin interesantă...
P. S. Mi-aș fi dorit ca Sverker Johansson să menționeze într-o bibliografie finală cărțile și articolele pe care le-a folosit pentru a redacta acest volum.
Așadar, Sverker Johansson nu împărtășește ipoteza saltului genetic, a „creației ex nihilo”. Limbajul s-a constituit treptat și e de presupus că rudimente de limbaj au apărut odată cu homo erectus. La omul de Neanderthal, prezența limbajului, dacă e să-l credem pe Johansson, este o certitudine. Și asta nu numai pentru că omul de Neanderthal a „descoperit” arta, fiind autorul desenelor rupestre din peștera Chauvet, de exemplu, ci și pentru că în genomul omului de azi există un procent semnificativ de „secvențe neanderthaliene”. Cele două specii umane au coexistat în Europa (Spania, Franța) cîteva mii de ani (nimeni nu se mai îndoiește de asta) și s-au încrucișat între ele (a se vedea și Dimitra Papagianni & Michael A. Morse, Omul de Neanderthal, București: Corint, 2018). Încrucișarea nu ar fi fost posibilă dacă omul de Neanderthal nu ar fi avut deja un limbaj (fie și rudimentar), căci relațiile nu au fost sporadice și nici întîmplătoare. Argumentul e convingător, chiar dacă nu e (și nu are cum fi) decisiv și definitiv. Dovezile sînt concludente, dar nu și suficiente. Mulți specialiști continuă să se îndoiască de faptul că omul de Neanderthal putea vorbi. Încă nu există consens.
Apariția limbajului la speciile umane presupune cooperare, încredere și sinceritate între indivizi. Limbajul e un instrument absolut necesar pentru a împărtăși informații vitale: de unde vine pericolul, unde e hrana. Nu vom ști niciodată ce limbi vorbeau oamenii cu 12 mii de ani în urmă. Dar există dovezi (anatomice, genetice, neurologice) că foloseau un limbaj. Iar acest limbaj s-a constituit treptat, a fost atomistic (cumulativ, am spus eu) și nu a avut nevoie de o mutație genetică. Pentru a afla cum era „limba primordială”, citiți secțiunea de „întrebări și răspunsuri” care începe la pagina 384.
O lucrare cel puțin interesantă...
P. S. Mi-aș fi dorit ca Sverker Johansson să menționeze într-o bibliografie finală cărțile și articolele pe care le-a folosit pentru a redacta acest volum.
March 15, 2021
Úgy vélem, hogy így kell kinéznie egy informatív, ámde felettébb olvasmányos értekezésnek. Johansson nagyon ért hozzá, hogyan is kell megfogni az olvasót, és tekintettel arra, hogy ő inkább tudós, mintsem regényíró, azt mondhatom: le a kalappal!
Tetszett, hogy nem in medias res kezdéssel huppantunk bele itt a nyelv eredetébe, hanem szépen, lassan, az evolúció vonalát végigkövetve jutottunk el oda, ahova el kellett jutnunk. Dzsáj, a nyelv szépsége, ugyebár… Ami persze logikus is, hiszem a ‘nyelvre kész agy’ az emberiséggel együtt alakult ki, formálódott, és még most sincsen végleges állapotában.
Különösen imádtam azokat a részeket, amik állati megfigyeléseket írtak le, amikor is láthattuk, hogy igenis ők is kommunikálnak akár egymással, akár más fajokkal. Még élénken él bennem egy emlék nagypapám papagájáról, Tódiról, aki vidáman k•rvázott le minden arra járót, ha éppen ahhoz volt kedve, vagy ahogy utánozta a kávéfőzőt, a kertkaput, no meg vígan csipogta az orosz himnuszt, később pedig a Pindúr Pandúrok betétdalát is.
Ha tágítani szeretnétek a nyelvről szóló látószögeteket, megéri elolvasni ezt a könyvet.
Tetszett, hogy nem in medias res kezdéssel huppantunk bele itt a nyelv eredetébe, hanem szépen, lassan, az evolúció vonalát végigkövetve jutottunk el oda, ahova el kellett jutnunk. Dzsáj, a nyelv szépsége, ugyebár… Ami persze logikus is, hiszem a ‘nyelvre kész agy’ az emberiséggel együtt alakult ki, formálódott, és még most sincsen végleges állapotában.
Különösen imádtam azokat a részeket, amik állati megfigyeléseket írtak le, amikor is láthattuk, hogy igenis ők is kommunikálnak akár egymással, akár más fajokkal. Még élénken él bennem egy emlék nagypapám papagájáról, Tódiról, aki vidáman k•rvázott le minden arra járót, ha éppen ahhoz volt kedve, vagy ahogy utánozta a kávéfőzőt, a kertkaput, no meg vígan csipogta az orosz himnuszt, később pedig a Pindúr Pandúrok betétdalát is.
Ha tágítani szeretnétek a nyelvről szóló látószögeteket, megéri elolvasni ezt a könyvet.
June 27, 2019
Vissa delar är väldigt intressanta (om språkets cykliska utveckling, om det som gjort att människor utvecklat språk men inte schimpanserna), men boken är väldigt repetitiv. Författaren upprepar samma argument och slutsatser om och om igen, jag är säkert på att texten hade kunnat kortas ner med ungefär hundra sidor. Dessutom håller boken en rätt ojämn nivå, den inleds med att författaren förklarar grundläggande koncept som substantiv och verb, men sedan ger han sig in i filosofiska diskussioner om grammatiska paradigm... Jag förstår inte hur läsaren som inte redan från början visste vad ett substantiv var ska kunna hänga med.
February 12, 2023
I enjoyed this book and found it quite insightful. Tying together some psychology, anthropology, linguistics, biology, amongst other disciplines, Johansson is able to achieve both depth and breadth in his exploration of early language. I enjoyed the fictional scenarios he paints to illustrate his point. I did however, feel the book jumped around a little too much.
I did not agree with all of the conclusions drawn, but I found it to be well-investigated and fascinating.
I did not agree with all of the conclusions drawn, but I found it to be well-investigated and fascinating.
January 8, 2022
I really enjoyed the subject matter of this book and the way the author talks through all of the different research areas that contribute to the discussion.
At the start I felt like the author was rather smug telling us all about his achievements, but I guess that's a cultural difference! I got over it, mostly.
By mid way through I got rather frustrated by the author not coming to any conclusions but rather just talking through the different theories. it became clear in the last chapter that this was on purpose - he does conclude on his own opinions there.
And a special note to commend the Audible narrator on his excellent paragraph of Proto Indo-European. A whole paragraph! I still remember a lecture by Torsten Meissner back at university when he did this, and that was only a sentence!
At the start I felt like the author was rather smug telling us all about his achievements, but I guess that's a cultural difference! I got over it, mostly.
By mid way through I got rather frustrated by the author not coming to any conclusions but rather just talking through the different theories. it became clear in the last chapter that this was on purpose - he does conclude on his own opinions there.
And a special note to commend the Audible narrator on his excellent paragraph of Proto Indo-European. A whole paragraph! I still remember a lecture by Torsten Meissner back at university when he did this, and that was only a sentence!
December 11, 2020
Een aanrader als je nu eindelijk eens wil onthouden of de Homo Erectus eerder of later was dan de Homo Habilis, en ondertussen scenario’s uit het dagelijks leven van chimpansees wil lezen. Als je in de oorsprong van taal geïnteresseerd bent hoef je alleen het laatste hoofdstuk te lezen. En als je de hypothese niet gelooft moet je toch het boek door. Want de lijnen worden mooi uitgezet, overtuigend beargumenteerd. Het is niet aan mij om te bepalen hoe flinterdun of ijzersterk de beweringen zijn waar het hele bouwwerk op rust.
August 12, 2020
Niet helemaal overtuigd.... zoveel herhaling, veel informatie buiten de kwestie... Het had gerust de helft van de bladzijden mogen zijn!
May 25, 2022
Very interesting and educated thesis on how and when people most likely acquired language, and why other species have never (as far as we know) developed it. I was disappointed but not surprised at the lack of knowledge regarding the first (proto) language, which would be just fascinating to know. Lengthy tome; if linguistics is not your cup of tea you might find it ponderous at times.
January 24, 2025
Takes a while to get going. Keeps saying “ in this book I will endeavour to…” as if you were at the introduction rather than the half way mark, but comes to clear conclusions.
January 15, 2022
Contemplate all the peculiarities required for a language to exist amongst a people and splash in some evolutionary history and you get a good read.
June 6, 2023
Interesting read/listen; you are dutifully paraded along the many findings and theories regarding the (putative) origins of language; at points somewhat too matter-of-factly rather than a gripping popular scientific narrative; ironically the language of this story on language could use some freshening up.
June 28, 2022
Picked this up on a whim in Waterstones while on holiday, in a time where I really had lots of uni articles to be reading and this seemed like something I could justify reading amongst all that as it was still linguistics.
This was an area of linguistics I had very little prior knowledge of, as historical linguistics has never been part of the curriculum throughout my education and I find the current task of teasing out how language all works in the brain, and how to preserve the dying languages that are still around now daunting enough, without venturing into the deep past of the protolanguage of our ancestors.
Having said that, this was a really interesting, well-presented consideration of the origins of language, what it might has looked like, how old it could be, and what would have prompted early members of the Homo family to evolve the brains that could furnish us with this language capacity in the first place. I found this to be very approachable if you were simply interested in what the beginnings of language might have looked like, without any previous linguistic background, as a lot of the terms are explained early on, and it seems to be very much written by a linguistic academic for a broader audience. Think Mary Beard, but for language, and I honestly think that is high praise indeed (guilty, Mary Beard stan).
This was an area of linguistics I had very little prior knowledge of, as historical linguistics has never been part of the curriculum throughout my education and I find the current task of teasing out how language all works in the brain, and how to preserve the dying languages that are still around now daunting enough, without venturing into the deep past of the protolanguage of our ancestors.
Having said that, this was a really interesting, well-presented consideration of the origins of language, what it might has looked like, how old it could be, and what would have prompted early members of the Homo family to evolve the brains that could furnish us with this language capacity in the first place. I found this to be very approachable if you were simply interested in what the beginnings of language might have looked like, without any previous linguistic background, as a lot of the terms are explained early on, and it seems to be very much written by a linguistic academic for a broader audience. Think Mary Beard, but for language, and I honestly think that is high praise indeed (guilty, Mary Beard stan).
March 22, 2015
All the science you need to know before speculating about how language appeared. Avoids constructing any detailed scenario, but rules plenty of them out. In the most likely possibility by Johansson's reasoning (which I think is generally sound) the fastest phase in the development of human language happened in Homo erectus, was relatively gradual, and was an adaptation to living in large social groups. Though the focus is always on the origin of specifically the language capabilities that are unique to humans, the book is refreshingly light on anthropocentrism and fairly summarizes a lot of the research demonstrating rudimentary language in nonhumans (Kanzi impresses the author most). Johansson's background is a little unconventional - he is originally a physicist, but also got an MA in linguistics before writing the book - but that doesn't seem to have an effect on his approach, certainly not a negative one. And the book is a great demonstration of why interdisciplinarity needs to be about some people having research competence in multiple disciplines, not just publishing an evolutionary biology article next to a generative syntax article in a collection.
October 21, 2019
Sverker blandar in förutfattade meningar om läsaren angående politiska uppfattningar, märkliga förklaringar om forskning i sig och vägrar även att inse storheten med vår fantastiska generativa språkmodul som gör att vi kan konstruera oändliga meningar med finita medel. Dessutom beskriver Sverker språkets essens som kommunikativ. Det är fel. Språket är först och främst tankeexternalisering. Just nu talar du förmodligen med dig själv i ditt huvud, men när du yttrar dig är det bara ett litet fragment av dina tankar som ser dagsljuset. Det är alltså inte totaliteten av din kapacitet som kungörs i och med din kommunikation med en annan människa.
För en empirist som studerar sociolingvistik är detta en mycket intressant bok. För en generativist, eller nativist, som studerar människans biologiska språkkapacitet, rekommenderar jag Chomsky, Pinker eller Darwin.
För en empirist som studerar sociolingvistik är detta en mycket intressant bok. För en generativist, eller nativist, som studerar människans biologiska språkkapacitet, rekommenderar jag Chomsky, Pinker eller Darwin.
May 11, 2017
In my humble opinion, the convergence of interdisciplinary fields–biology, linguistics, anthropology, archaeology …etc.–makes Origins of Language: Constraints on Hypotheses extraordinary. It is clearly written and beautifully argued and has almost all the science needed to put the evolution of language under close scrutiny.
The book is replete with evolutionary perspectives, and it may not appeal to dogmatic creationists whose minds have no room to know what erudite and less herd-bounded individuals have hypothesized, experimented, or concluded so as to fathom why, as far as our knowledge goes, only the human brain evolved language.
The book is replete with evolutionary perspectives, and it may not appeal to dogmatic creationists whose minds have no room to know what erudite and less herd-bounded individuals have hypothesized, experimented, or concluded so as to fathom why, as far as our knowledge goes, only the human brain evolved language.
April 30, 2023
I’ve been waiting for the perfect book to read on this topic for a long time and this was definitely it. The questions asked are exactly what I wanted to know, it looks at the topic holistically with a wide range of lenses, it’s structured and written in a very readable way and it has enough flavour and life brought to it that you can really feel it in your mind. It was a real stop and ponder read. There was a couple of very minor elements I feel like I didn’t completely get and it was a smidge repetitive at times but I can’t really fault it for that, overall it was definitely excellent.
June 28, 2019
En av de bästa populärvetenskapliga böckerna jag någonsin läst på svenska. Lättläst, pedagogiskt uppbyggd, baserad på den nyaste forskningen och verkligen omfattningsrik: förutom huvudämnet förmedlar boken en större del av vad man kan förvänta sig från en bra introduktion till språkvetenskap. Som högskolelärare i ämnet kan jag bara helhjärtat rekommendera Johanssons bok till alla språkintresserade.
January 19, 2022
Contiene muchísima información, era verdaderamente cómo acompañar al autor en una búsqueda; evaluando hipótesis, puntos de vista, posibilidades, qué podrían invalidarlas, etc. Ha sido muy interesante porque no sólo te enseña del tema, sino de todo el proceso y todo lo que involucra una investigación de tal magnitud y relevancia.
La próxima vez que lo lea recordaré tomar apuntes porque era demasiada información (que personalmente encuentro interesante).
La próxima vez que lo lea recordaré tomar apuntes porque era demasiada información (que personalmente encuentro interesante).
August 13, 2022
Su contenido es bueno, pero no he conectado con la manera de compartirlo con sus lectores. Como libro para una asignatura de la universidad, ok. Para una persona apasionada por la lingüística que lee por placer, me parece poco atractivo y de difícil lectura, a veces demasiado técnico y carente de ejemplos. Me quedaría más con Lola Pons, Elena Álvarez o Francisco Moreno.
Pero, repito, su contenido es bueno.
Pero, repito, su contenido es bueno.
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