If You're Curious About These Questions...
You should listen to this audiobook
- Have you ever wondered how a newborn baby manages to master the complex rules of grammar before they even learn to tie their shoelaces?
- Did you know that there are hidden forces constantly reshaping the way you speak, and what really happens to our shared history when a language disappears?
- Are you curious about the secret mechanics that allow a few simple vocal sounds to be transformed into an infinite variety of complex human thoughts?
Listen to How Language Works — Free Audiobook
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Key Takeaways from How Language Works
- Discover how human language uniquely relies on 'productivity' to express infinite ideas and 'duality of structure' to turn meaningless sounds into meaningful words.
- Understand why speech is a biologically evolved, universal human trait, while reading and writing are invented, unnatural skills that must be formally taught.
- Learn the fascinating ways the human body adapted specifically for speech, including physical changes to the larynx that actually increase our vulnerability to choking.
- Find out how the permanence and authority of the written word historically dictated the rules of grammar, artificially altering natural, everyday spoken language.
- Explore how an infant's babbling is actually a highly organized practice session for speech, where their cognitive understanding of words rapidly outpaces their physical ability to pronounce them.
Learning Tools
Reinforce what you learned from How Language Works
Mind Map
How Language Works
Definition & Structure+
Forms of Expression+
Acquisition & Development+
Evolution & Change+
Origins & Families+
Multilingualism+
Endangered Languages+
Quiz — Test Your Understanding
Question 1 of 7
What does the linguistic term 'duality of structure' refer to?
Question 2 of 7
How did the invention of writing historically impact spoken language?
Question 3 of 7
According to the text, which linguistic skill takes the longest for humans to fully develop?
Question 4 of 7
What is identified as perhaps the biggest cause of linguistic change over time?
Question 5 of 7
How did historical linguists use the word 'palm tree' to hypothesize the origins of Proto-Indo-European?
Question 6 of 7
What does the author argue is the primary key to successfully learning a foreign language?
Question 7 of 7
What is a common psychological factor that contributes to the death of a minority language during cultural assimilation?
How Language Works — Full Chapter Overview
- 1Recommendation
- 21 — Language is an organized communication system built on productivity and dual structure.
- 32 — Language is mainly expressed through speech and writing.
- 43 — The basic rules of language are learned early and developed throughout life.
- 54 — From the moment it emerged, language has been constantly evolving.
- 65 — Language families offer valuable insight into humanity’s earliest days.
- 76 — Multilingualism is the usual human condition.
- 87 — Endangered languages can be revived through focused community efforts.
- 98 — Final summary
How Language Works Summary & Overview
How Language Works (2005) unlocks the secrets of how and why we communicate. Language is one of the defining characteristics that makes humans human. But because it’s such a fundamental concept, we rarely take the time to think about where it comes from or how it evolves. These blinks examine the historical and personal origins of language and the many different ways it affects our daily lives.
Who Should Listen to How Language Works?
- Language lovers curious to learn how language works
- Those who appreciate the vast diversity of languages in the world
- People concerned about endangered or extinct languages
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