Language: The Cultural Tool by Daniel Everett

The main premise of Language: The Cultural Tool by Daniel Everett is that language, contrary to Noam Chomsky’s revolutionary ideas earlier this century, is not innate. It is an invention and tool of culture. He convincingly refutes the idea that children could not possibly learn the necessary complexities of language, although he credits a more general learning device, not one that is specialized for language only. He also gives a brief overview of the many items infants and toddlers learn fr...