Talk Talk Talk: Decoding the Mysteries of Speech - Softcover

Ingram, Jay

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0385473834 ISBN 13: 9780385473835

Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1994

Synopsis

With a mixture of erudition and humor, Canadian radio personality Jay Ingram discusses the sociology of talking: the dynamics of conversation, men and women's different propensities for interrupting, and even the proper use of "you know." But he also delves into the mystery-riddled physiology of talking. While we now know that certain areas of the brain seem to control specific aspects of speech—from articulating words to creating meaningful sentences—how do scientists explain the extraordinary case of the young stroke victim who lost only the words for fruits and vegetables? Is it possible that the ability to talk is actually encoded in our genes, as some scientists believe?

From the language roots of North America to the speech differences between Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons, from modern children creating whole new languages in one generation to Freudian slips, from talking to yourself to speaking in tongues, Talk, Talk, Talk covers the gamut of humankind's most enigmatic and intriguing skill. Impeccably researched, lively, and accessible, Talk, Talk, Talk is a book you won't be able to keep quiet about.

About this title

About the Author

Jay Ingram was host of Discovery Channel Canada’s Daily Planet from 1995 to 2011. When it premiered in 1995, it was the only hour-long, prime-time daily science show in the world. Prior to joining Discovery, Jay hosted CBC Radio’s national science show, Quirks and Quarks, from 1979 to 1992. He was contributing editor to Owl magazine, and also wrote a weekly science column in the Toronto Star. Jay has also written 11 bestselling books, including The Daily Planet Book of Cool Ideas and Talk, Talk, Talk. In 2009, Ingram was made a member of the Order of Canada for his contributions toward making complex science accessible to the public—and for his leadership of future generations of science journalists. He has received the Sandford Fleming Medal from the Royal Canadian Institute for his efforts to popularize science, the Royal Society’s McNeil Medal for the Public Awareness of Science, and the Michael Smith Award from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. He is a distinguished alumnus of the University of Alberta and has received five honorary doctorates.

Reviews

Ingram's survey of recent linguistic research shows that even the simplest forms of baby talk raise profound psychological and social questions. Likewise, the rudimentary types of signing learned by chimpanzees force investigators to reflect upon what constitutes language and upon what role language plays in defining human identity. When linguists shift attention from apes and small children to adult humans, complexities multiply: Why do women seem to talk more than men? How do gestures and changes of pitch shape informal conversation? How much of linguistic proficiency is genetically determined? Because he must abandon the empirical for the speculative in probing prehistory, Ingram can offer few certainties in his discussions of the Neanderthals, the Tower of Babel, or the first languages of Native Americans. These discussions nonetheless do give readers new perspectives on the words they speak and write. Bryce Christensen

The ways people listen, communicate, and think are of the greatest importance to Canadian science writer Ingram, who has written a fine introduction to the study of languages and the brain. Ingram describes how people interrupt and signal each other in talking and how brain-damaged patients are observed by scientists to understand language acquisition and use. The physical aspects of speech and the nature of early languages are major parts of the story told by Ingram, who relies on the latest studies to explore children's language skills, ape-language research, and the forms of pidgin and Creole. Ingram uses Noam Chomsky on innate language, Colin Renfrew on the diffusion of early Indo-European, and Julian Jaynes on consciousness to discuss this controversial and difficult subject. A good companion volume to Anthony Burgess's A Mouthful of Air (LJ 8/93).
Gene Shaw, NYPL
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0385473834
• ISBN 13: 9780385473835
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336