Mother Tongue: How Humans Create Language

by Joel Lance Davis

Presenting the latest and most controversial research on the origin of languages, the author of Mapping the Code discusses first language acquisition, idiot savants, language and stroke victims, and other issues. 15,000 first printing.

Genres: Linguistics, Language, Nonfiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1994

Reviews

[Richard Subber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mother Tongue is a broad, deeply informed account of the magic and the mojo of human language.
Any grandparent will recognize some of a child’s stages of language acquisition, and the delight of infant babbling. Joel Davis gives all of the particulars of brain and language science that explains it.
This is not a book for a reader with only a casual interest. It has a hefty proportion of scientific stuff, and some depth of detail that may deter a reader with less than persistent interest.
There are thousands of viable languages in the world today. Any baby can learn any one or more of them. Read all about it.
Read more of my book reviews and poems here:
www.richardsubber.com

[Josiah Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent introduction to how the brain creates language. The center of the book focuses on basic neuroscience which correlates to the creation of language in the human. The book focuses on the research of the Demasio's and Pettito, but slightly touches on Chomsky which is the Pioneer of this subject of the mother tongue and the but doesn't hardly touch on language being inherent in the human.

[Dave Haskins]

Language