The Language Myth

Is language an instinct—something we are born with, a skill programmed into the human genome? For nearly fifty years, scientists thought the answer was yes. This book reveals why they were wrong.

Language is central to our lives, the cultural tool that arguably sets us apart from other species. The Language Myth argues against the dominant linguistic notion of language as an “instinct” too complex to be learned from experience.

Drawing on cutting-edge research in brain and behavioral sciences, including linguistics, philosophy of mind, psychology, and cognitive neuroscience, Vyvyan Evans presents a more realistic explanation for the origin of language that aligns with the facts we have today. This provocative book demonstrates that language is related to other animal forms of communication; that languages exhibit staggering diversity; that we learn our mother tongue drawing on general properties and abilities of the human mind, rather than an inborn 'universal' grammar; and that, ultimately, language and the mind reflect and draw upon the way we interact with others in the world.

Compellingly written and passionately argued, this book debunks the ‘language myth’ and uncovers the true origins of language, the nature of mind, and what it means to be human.