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The Story of Human Language Audible Audiobook – Original recording

John McWhorter (Narrator, Author), The Great Courses (Author, Publisher)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 33 ratings
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Language defines us as a species, placing humans head and shoulders above even the most proficient animal communicators. But it also beguiles us with its endless mysteries, allowing us to ponder why different languages emerged, why there isn't simply a single language, how languages change over time and whether that's good or bad, and how languages die out and become extinct. Now you can explore all of these questions and more in an in-depth series of 36 lectures from one of America's leading linguists.

You'll be witness to the development of human language, learning how a single tongue spoken 150,000 years ago evolved into the estimated 6,000 languages used around the world today and gaining an appreciation of the remarkable ways in which one language sheds light on another.

The many fascinating topics you examine in these lectures include: the intriguing evidence that links a specific gene to the ability to use language; the specific mechanisms responsible for language change; language families and the heated debate over the first language; the phenomenon of language mixture; why some languages develop more grammatical machinery than they actually need; the famous hypothesis that says our grammars channel how we think; artificial languages, including Esperanto and sign languages for the deaf; and how word histories reflect the phenomena of language change and mixture worldwide.

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  1. Listening Length
    18 hours and 15 minutes
  2. Author
    John McWhorter, see all
  3. Narrator
    John McWhorter
  4. Audible release date
    July 8, 2013
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    The Great Courses
  7. ASIN
    B00DTO69D6
  8. Version
    Original recording
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
Next slide of product details

Product details

Listening Length 18 hours and 15 minutes
Author John McWhorter, The Great Courses
Narrator John McWhorter
Audible.com Release Date July 08, 2013
Publisher The Great Courses
Program Type Audiobook
Version Original recording
Language English
ASIN B00DTO69D6
Best Sellers Rank #38,192 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#109 in Linguistics Reference
#119 in Words, Language & Grammar (Audible Books & Originals)
#286 in World History (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
33 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

fogi bear
5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly What I Was Seeking And Expecting
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2020
Verified Purchase
A fascinating introduction to language as a fundamental human trait and discussion of how and why they have evolved and proliferated. You can sample the author’s subject and presentation style in his Slate podcast “Lexicon Valley “. Some may not enjoy him. I did.
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Kerry
5.0 out of 5 stars very informative and interesting
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2021
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well written and easy to understand even if you've never study linguistics before
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GuajoloteDigital
1.0 out of 5 stars only got part 2 of 3
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2021
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I thought this was the complete set and was disappointed to only receive the 2nd book of 3 in the series
3 people found this helpful
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Roberts P Schafer
5.0 out of 5 stars VERY educational and VERY entertaining!
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2019
Verified Purchase
Listening to John McWhorter lecturing is an absolute delight. I never imagined I could enjoy linguistics so much.
One person found this helpful
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K. R.
3.0 out of 5 stars Ramblin Man...
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2020
I've listened to many of these Great Course over the years - and have enjoyed doing so. This one, I'm finding the rambling style and the personal asides a bit annoying. The lecturer goes a bit far in simplifying the concepts he is trying to convey - which results in him rambling a bit. Still, the lectures are educational.

I was interested in listening to this series because I had recently watched the NOVA series; 'A to Z - The First Alphabet, and How Writing Changed the World'.
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Joanna D.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great series of engaging lectures about language
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2020
Having studied two indo-European languages (French and German) and having had to learn a few other languages ad hoc, I was intrigued by this lecture series. What are language families and what IS the Indo-European family? What is Proto-Indo-European and can you talk it? Professor McWhorter is an engaging speaker with wry sense of humor and he's a Philadelphian (haha! only the best come from the City of Brotherly Love.) He is somewhat of a rebel in terms of being quite cavalier about prevailing linguistic theories and is unafraid to voice his own take on the massive subject. He's far from being a stuffy pedant. You'll be entertained, I promise. But there's gold here.

McWhorter's real talent is making a very intricate and deep subject amazingly approachable and memorable. When you listen to each lecture, you learn about language in terms of sounds changing (vowels, consonants, "fragile" H's, T's to D' s and so much more) and you also get a feel for the vast migration of humans from parts of the world to distant regions; how did Austronesians get from (maybe) Borneo to Madagascar in Africa--and retain their language? Fascinating.

You can buy a print book but the audiobook comes with a PDF of slides and text and it's great listening.

I could listen to him all day. There are 35 hours of good stuff here so plenty of enjoyable listening and you will have a fantastic feel for the subject of language when you complete the course. Will you have done Linguistics 101? No indeed. But you will have a wonderful idea of how great our ability to create language and how unique to humans.

Can't recommend enough.
5 people found this helpful
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Mary F
5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly fascinating
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2022
This is an utterly fascinating subject entertainingly presented by the author. I would give six stars if I could. The many and extremely varied ways languages have developed is mind boggling. The difficulty humans over a certain age have becoming fluent in a language whose structure is vastly different from that of their native language stands in stark contrast to the effortless, miraculous learning of multiple languages by the very young. The developing human brain is an amazing thing. I am grateful to those who have dedicated their lives to studying, analyzing and systemizing how we use speech to communicate.
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Dan 1955
5.0 out of 5 stars Audio Books
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2022
This is an audiobook I purchased so that I could listen to it and edify myself while working out, driving, mowing the lawn, walking the dog, etc. It helps the time go by faster and it’s very enjoyable to read. I’ve learned a lot from this and other audiobooks I have purchased.
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