Don't Sleep, There are Snakes

'An astonishing book: a work of exploration, into the most distant place and language, but also a revelation of the way language is shaped by thought and circumstance' The Times

Informationen zum Autor Daniel Everett is Dean of Arts and Sciences at Bentley University in Massachusetts. Previously, he was Chair of the department of languages, literatures and cultures at Illinois State University. He is the author of international bestseller Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes . Klappentext Everett was a missionary with a plan to convert the Pirahas, but they ended up converting him. Over time, he learnt their language and began to see the world how they saw it. They also challenge Noam Chomsky's universally accepted linguistic theories. The trade paperback was a Radio 4 Book of the Week, and sold over 13,000 copies. ´An astonishing book: a work of exploration, into the most distant place and language, but also a revelation of the way language is shaped by thought and circumstance´ The Times Zusammenfassung Although Daniel Everett was a missionary, far from converting the Pirahãs, they converted him. He shows the slow, meticulous steps by which he gradually mastered their language and his gradual realisation that its unusual nature closely reflected its speakers' startlingly original perceptions of the world.Everett describes how he began to realise that his discoveries about the Pirahã language opened up a new way of understanding how language works in our minds and in our lives, and that this way was utterly at odds with Noam Chomsky's universally accepted linguistic theories. The perils of passionate academic opposition were then swiftly conjoined to those of the Amazon in a debate whose outcome has yet to be won. Everett's views are most recently discussed in Tom Wolfe's bestselling The Kingdom of Speech.Adventure, personal enlightenment and the makings of a scientific revolution proceed together in this vivid, funny and moving book.

Auteur

Daniel Everett was born in California. He lived for many years in the Amazon jungle and conducted research on over a dozen indigenous languages of Brazil. He has published on sound structure, grammar, meaning, culture and language. He has been the subject of endless controversy in academic circles and is currently Professor of Linguistics at Illinois State University.

Texte du rabat

Everett was a missionary with a plan to convert the Pirahas, but they ended up converting him. Over time, he learnt their language and began to see the world how they saw it. They also challenge Noam Chomsky's universally accepted linguistic theories. The trade paperback was a Radio 4 Book of the Week, and sold over 13,000 copies.

Résumé
Although the author was a missionary, far from converting the Pirahas, they converted him. This title shows the slow, meticulous steps by which he gradually mastered their language and his gradual realisation that its unusual nature closely reflected its speakers' startlingly original perceptions of the world.