The Birth of Language

The Birth of Language traces the gradual evolution of human language over two million years, uncovering the intricate interplay between biological adaptations and cultural innovations. It distinguishes language from speech showing how both emerged as distinct, yet intertwined processes shaped by specialized brain networks. The book engages with the ongoing scholarly debate on language origins, examining the roles of brain architecture, social cohesion, group dynamics, and fundamental behaviors such as toolmaking.

Drawing on the latest genetic research, as well as groundbreaking neurobiological discoveries, it reveals how our linguistic abilities mirror broader cognitive advances in human evolution. Evidence-based insights are woven seamlessly into a rich narrative of humanity’s intertwined cultural and biological history.

Essential reading for anyone intrigued by the origins of language, The Birth of Language offers valuable perspectives for readers in psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, and anthropology―bridging disciplines to tell the compelling story of our species’ most defining trait.

Dieter Hillert is a linguist and cognitive scientist whose work spans language, cognition, and evolution. He studied at Gutenberg University Mainz and Goethe University Frankfurt and was trained in neurolinguistics at the Medical School of RWTH Aachen University. He earned his PhD from Goethe University Frankfurt and, as a postdoctoral researcher, investigated brain and language at the Centre Paul Broca in Paris, Boston University, and MIT. After returning to Europe, he lectured at the University of Manchester and earned his Habilitation (venia legendi) at Goethe University Frankfurt. He subsequently joined the University of California, San Diego. Currently, he is an Adjunct Professor at San Diego State University. He has received multiple awards from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. His research covers a broad range of topics in the cognitive and language sciences, including the neurobiology and genetics of language, the evolution of language and cognition, and mental capacities in nonhuman animals.