The Origin of Language
How We Learned to Speak and Why
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
In a radical new story about the birth of our species, The Origin of Language argues that it was not hunting, fighting, or tool-making that forced early humans to speak, but the inescapable need to care for our children.
Journeying to the dawn of Homo sapiens, evolutionary biologist Madeleine Beekman reveals the “happy accidents” hidden in our molecular biology—DNA, chromosomes, and proteins—that led to one of the most fateful events in the history of life on Earth: our giving birth to babies earlier in their development than our hominid cousins the Neanderthals and Denisovans. Faced with highly dependent infants requiring years of nurturing and protection, early human communities needed to cooperate and coordinate, and it was this unprecedented need for communication that triggered the creation of human language—and changed everything.
Infused with cutting-edge science, sharp humor, and insights into the history of biology and its luminaries, Beekman weaves a narrative that’s both enlightening and entertaining. Challenging the traditional theories of male luminaries like Chomksy, Pinker, and Harari, she invites us into the intricate world of molecular biology and its ancient secrets. The Origin of Language is a tour de force by a brilliant biologist on how a culture of cooperation and care have shaped our existence.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Human language capacities developed primarily to aid in rearing children, according to this lucid debut from biologist Beekman. Babies are born "underbaked," Beekman writes, explaining that because human brains are so large, children must be born before theirs are fully grown in order to fit through the birth canal. This creates the need for extensive postnatal care, and language evolved because talking enabled the type of cooperation necessary for "helpless infants" to survive. Writing with wit and making creative use of analogies, Beekman also sheds light on the broader topic of human evolution. She answers the question "Why did our brains get bigger?" by describing how the addition of meat to Homo erectus diets introduced enough nutrients to support such an organ, and she notes the many utilities of social bonds formed by human ancestors. Elsewhere, she uses Tinder as a case study to explain how a genetic mutation in early primates spread and led to "the origin of our species." Throughout, Beekman showcases her knack for making complex ideas accessible: "It is probably fair to say that human sociality had its origin in Australopithecus's pathetic-ness." The result is an edifying and original foray into a critical aspect of human evolution.
