How did language evolve? How old is language? How do we all know how to speak so effortlessly? Why is structural grammatical language specifically human? In his illuminating book, Steven Pinker attacks these fundamental questions with intense curiosity, energetic wit and clarity. He discusses every facet of human language and uncovers its deepest mysteries. Language, to Pinker, is an instinct, and he cuts through the jargon of the science of linguistics to show us how and why. Complemented by Lalla Ward's superb and eloquent reading, this is an audio book about the power of communication and will enlighten all those curious to understand this human power. 'Dazzling ...Words can hardly do justice to the superlative range and liveliness of Pinker's investigations' Robert Winder, the "Independent". 'Pinker debunks with panache, cuts through the confusion of jargon, and tells a mean anecdote. He does for language what David Attenborough does for animals' John Gribbin, the "Sunday Times".

From the Back Cover

In this classic, the world's expert on language and mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, and how it evolved. With deft use of examples of humor and wordplay, Steven Pinker weaves our vast knowledge of language into a compelling story: language is a human instinct, wired into our brains by evolution. The Language Instinct received the William James Book Prize from the American Psychological Association and the Public Interest Award from the Linguistics Society of America. This edition includes an update on advances in the science of language since The Language Instinct was first published.

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