Language Unlimited: The Science Behind Our Most Creative Power

Language Unlimited explores the mysteries of language and its endless creativity, drawing on research from neuroscience, psychology, and linguistics to explain how the more than 7000 languages in the world appear to obey the same deep scientific laws.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 22 July 2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Language Unlimited delves into the enigmatic realm of human language, unveiling the profound mysteries surrounding our remarkable capacity for language and its boundless creativity. While all humans possess this unique ability, no other species can create and comprehend language in the same manner. Language serves as the framework for our thoughts, enabling us to plan, communicate, and generate endless new ideas. However, our linguistic experiences are finite, and our languages have a limited vocabulary. Where does this incredible linguistic creativity originate from? How does the seemingly endless scope of language emerge from our limited selves?

To explore these questions, David Adger, a renowned expert in neuroscience, psychology, and linguistics, takes readers on a captivating journey. Through extensive research and captivating anecdotes, Adger unveils the hidden structure behind every word we speak and every understanding we acquire. Along the way, he introduces us to children who have miraculously created languages from mere scraps of knowledge, shedding light on the processes through which new languages emerge. Adger also delves into the scientific laws that govern over the more than 7,000 languages spoken across the globe, demonstrating how they adhere to profound principles. He reveals how to invent a language that defies these laws and explores the fascinating ways in which our brains struggle to comprehend languages that are seemingly impossible to learn.

In addition to exploring the scientific aspects of language, Language Unlimited delves into the cognitive abilities of rats and apes, comparing their prowess in different language patterns. It sheds light on the unique ways in which artificial intelligences, such as those behind popular voice assistants like Alexa and Siri, understand language in distinctively non-human manners.

Through his comprehensive and engaging writing, David Adger invites readers to contemplate the profound implications of language and its role in shaping our world. He challenges our assumptions about language and encourages us to appreciate the incredible diversity and complexity of the human linguistic experience. Language Unlimited is a must-read for anyone interested in language, cognition, and the mysteries of the human mind.

Weight: 374g
Dimension: 157 x 234 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192843067