Chronicles the origins and evolution of language from the appearance of the first language about 150,000 years ago in East Africa to the approximately six thousand language varieties of today. Reprint.[...]
In the tradition of the bestsellers "Word Freak" and "The Language Instinct" comes a fascinating exploration of linguistic superlearners whose abilities shed light on the intellectual potential in us all. What do an Italian cardinal, a Connecticut blacksmith, and a German diplomat have in common wit[...]
In "Babel No More," Michael Erard, "a monolingual with benefits," sets out on a quest to meet language superlearners and make sense of their mental powers. On the way he uncovers the secrets of historical figures like the nineteenth-century Italian cardinal Joseph Mezzofanti, who was said to speak s[...]