"A model of popular-science writing" STEVEN POOLE

"I love a book that teaches me things I didn't know while provoking in me thoughts I never had before, setting my mind racing in new directions. Such a book is The Dawn of Language" RICHARD DAWKINS

"Magisterial . . . [A] detective story of the deep past" Telegraph

Who was "the first speaker" and what was their first message?

An erudite, tightly woven and beautifully written account of one of humanity's greatest mysteries - the origins of language.

Drawing on evidence from many fields, including archaeology, anthropology, neurology and linguistics, Sverker Johansson weaves these disparate threads together to show how our human ancestors evolved into language users. The Dawn of Language provides a fascinating survey of how grammar came into being and the differences or similarities between languages spoken around the world, before exploring how language eventually emerged in the very remote human past.

Our intellectual and physiological changes through the process of evolution both have a bearing on our ability to acquire language. But to what extent is the evolution of language dependent on genes, or on environment? How has language evolved further, and how is it changing now, in the process of globalisation? And which aspects of language ensure that robots are not yet intelligent enough to reconstruct how language has evolved?

Johansson's far-reaching, authoritative and research-based approach to language is brought to life through dozens of astonishing examples, both human and animal, in a fascinatingly erudite and entertaining volume for anyone who has ever contemplated not just why we speak the way we do, but why we speak at all.

Translated from the Swedish by Frank Perry

An entertaining and stimulating deep dive for anyone who has ever contemplated not just why we speak the way we do, but why we speak at all. The book is divided into three parts - language, origin and origin of language - and is packed with colourful examples.

Part 1 - Language as an isolated phenomenon - How do languages develop, what are the differences and similarities between the languages spoken around the world? Chapters on the origin and use of grammar.

Part 2 - Evolution of man - Intellectual development (from Neanderthal to social guru), but also physiological changes in evolution (e.g. brain capacity compared to apes) that have a bearing on our ability to develop language. "Nature versus nurture" is also discussed; to what extent is language development dependent on genes and environment? Both play a role, but perhaps have less impact than initially you think.

Part 3 - Origin of language - How language has evolved; who was "the first speaker", what was his/her first message? How has language developed further, and how is it changing now? How globalization has influenced language? How does programming language relate to "normal" language development? Which aspects of language ensure that robots are not yet intelligent enough to handle the complex issues or reconstruct language development?

Whereas Harari's Sapiens perhaps uses different theories to speculate how certain developments came about, Johansson's is approach to language is analytical and research-based. The result is a full picture of language development, a refreshing addition in an area in which theories of "linguist king" Noam Chomsky have predominated for years. The Dawn of Language is for the general reader and student alike.

Sverker Johansson's claim to fame otherwise is to have invented the LSJBot, which has written 8% of all articles on Swedish Wikipedia. He is also a physicist, has conducted research at CERN and participated in EVOLANG, a leading international research conference on language.

TRANSLATED FROM THE SWEDISH BY FRANK PERRY

Women are central to the story of how humans began to use language, at least according to the fascinating hypothesis advanced by Swedish scientist Sverker Johansson in his magisterial The Dawn of Language . . . but there are many other twists and turns in this detective story of the deep past.