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What is language, really? Where did it come from, and how did we figure it out? How do babies go from babbling to full sentences? Why can some people juggle multiple languages, while others wrestle with one? How does language work, and what happens when it doesn't? With sharp insight and a sense of humor, Stollznow dives into the strange and endlessly fascinating world of language and the mind. From animal communication to AI, wild children to word slips, and first words to last, this book takes you deep into the science of psycholinguistics, where nothing is ever simple, and everything speaks volumes. Packed with pop culture, real-life cases, and eye-opening experiments, Beyond Words reveals how we learn, use, and lose language, and what it all says about being human. If you've ever fumbled for a word or feared forgetting your own name, this thoughtful, surprising book is for you.
List of contents
Acknowledgements; Introduction: The Mysteries of Language; 1. What is Language?; 2. Where Did Language Come From?; 3. How Do We Learn Our Mother Tongue?; 4. How Do We Use and Understand Language?; 5. How Do We Lose Language?; 6. How Do We Learn Other Languages?; Conclusions: In Other Words; Index.
About the author
Karen Stollznow is a linguist, researcher, and podcaster. She's the author of Bitch: The Journey of a Word (2024), On the Offensive (2020), Missed Conceptions (2023), and Language Myths, Mysteries, and Magic (2014). Karen is a Host of Monster Talk and a Visiting Scholar at the University of Colorado Boulder.
