frequently-used 83
resistant-to-change 272
‘strength’ example 190, 206–7
word-building strategies 215
working memory/short-term memory 154–6, 200, 206, 211, 219, 246
Wright, Sewall 35*
writing systems, possible iconic roots 100, 103
X
‘X-men theory’ 45, 71, 148
Xhosa language 180
Y
‘Yesterday…’ example question 197–200, 198, 241
Z
Zaim, Yahdi 57*
Zinjanthropus (now Paranthropus) 37, 54
Zipf’s Law 83
Zuckerkandl, Emile 28, 47
Acknowledgements
A BOOK LIKE THIS depends on the help of many people, from those whose work I have made use of to those who actually took the time to read the manuscript and offer comments. It is a pleasure to thank Gisbert Fanselow, Vyvyan Evans, Caleb Everett, Peter J. Richerson, Helen Tager-Flusberg, Geoffrey Pullum and Philip Lieberman for helpful, often highly critical comments on portions of this manuscript. I especially want to thank Maggie Tallerman, for reading and commenting on just about every page. None of these readers agrees with me completely – some very little, in fact. I therefore absolve them of all responsibility for what follows, only thanking them for invaluable help. A special thanks goes to my editor at Profile Books, John Davey, for helping me shape this book in my head several years ago. Phil Marino and Bob Weil at Liveright provided me with the most helpful and detailed editorial suggestions that I have ever received. If this book is a success in any sense of that word, Phil, Bob and John are a large part of the reason. As always, it is a pleasure to thank Max Brockman, who has been a supporter and wonderful agent for years.
I thank Kristen Nill, my indefatigable and ever-thoughtful assistant for securing permissions for the illustrations in this book and for maintaining my calendar.
This work and much else are only possible because of the support and love of Linda Wulfman Everett.
ALSO BY DANIEL L. EVERETT
Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes:
Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle
Language: The Cultural Tool
Dark Matter of the Mind
Excerpt from “A Special Supplement: Chomsky’s Revolution in Linguistics,”
by John R. Searle, from The New York Review of Books.
Copyright © 1972 by John R. Searle.
Excerpt from “The Real Plot Against America” by Timothy Egan, from The New York Times, July 29, 2016, © 2016 The New York Times. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of this Content without express written permission is prohibited.
Copyright © 2017 by Daniel Everett
First American Edition 2017
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The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Names: Everett, Daniel Leonard, author.
Title: How language began : the story of humanity’s greatest invention / Daniel L. Everett.
Description: First American edition 2017. | New York : Liveright Publishing
Corporation, a division of W. W. Norton & Company, [2017] |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017025673 | ISBN 9780871407955 (hardcover)
Subjects: LCSH: Language and languages—Origin. | Human communication. | Semiotics. | Psycholinguistics.
Classification: LCC P116 .E73 2017 | DDC 401—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017025673
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How Language Began Page 39
