The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language

An accessible exploration of a burgeoning new field: the incredible evolution of language

The first popular book to recount the exciting, very recent developments in tracing the origins of language, The First Word is at the forefront of a controversial, compelling new field. Acclaimed science writer Christine Kenneally explains how a relatively small group of scientists that include Noam Chomsky and Steven Pinker assembled the astounding narrative of how the fundamental process of evolution produced a linguistic ape-in other words, us. Infused with the wonder of discovery, this vital and engrossing book offers us all a better understanding of the story of humankind.

Author: Christine Kenneally
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 06/01/2008
Pages: 368
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.72lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.48w x 0.78d
ISBN: 9780143113744

Review Citation(s):
New York Times Book Review 06/29/2008 pg. 24

About the Author
Author of The Invisible History of the Human Race and The First Word, Christine Kenneally is an award-winning journalist who has written for The New Yorker, the New York Times, Slate, Time, New Scientist, The Monthly, and other publications. Before becoming a reporter, she received a PhD in linguistics from Cambridge University and a BA (with honors) in English and linguistics from Melbourne University. She was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, and has lived in England, Iowa, and Brooklyn, New York.