• 2008
  • 3h 50m
Speaking in Tongues: The History of Language

Summary Currently there are more than 6,000 languages spoken around the world. This five-part series traces the history and evolution of language and attendant theories and controversies while evaluating the scope of linguistic diversity, the dissemination of language, the expansion of language into written form, and the life cycle of language. View more details

  • 2008
  • 3h 50m

Speaking in Tongues: The History of Language

Directed : Unknown

Written : Unknown

Stars : Noam Chomsky Hua Lin John McWhorter Merritt Ruhlen

All cast & crew

7.4

Details

Genres : Documentary

Release date : Apr 3, 2008

Countries of origin : Canada

Language : English

Production companies : Syncopated Productions

Summary Currently there are more than 6,000 languages spoken around the world. This five-part series traces the history and evolution of language and attendant theories and controversies while evaluating the scope of linguistic diversity, the dissemination of language, the expansion of language into written form, and the life cycle of language. View more details

Details

Genres : Documentary

Release date : Apr 3, 2008

Countries of origin : Canada

Language : English

Production companies : Syncopated Productions

Photos

Speaking in Tongues: The History of Language (2007)

Episodes

View All Seasons
Episode 1 • Apr 03, 2008
Let There Be Words
What precisely is language, and how did humans acquire it? In an effort to answer those essential questions, this program journeys back to prehistoric times in search of language's origin. Additional topics include distinguishing features of human communication and what humankind's first utterances may have been. The early evolution and migration of humans and the development of the human brain is also considered.
Episode 2 • Apr 10, 2008
Constant Change
Factors that contributed to the diversification and spread of languages are examined, including early migration, the introduction of agriculture, and genes. Language transfer from mother to child and from one population to the next is also investigated, along with the concept of dialects and commonalities among the world's more than 6,000 languages.
Episode 3 • Apr 17, 2008
Mother Tongues
This program travels the globe as it surveys a large portion of the world's languages-25 percent of which are spoken by a mere 0.1 percent of the Earth's population. Moving from Africa to Oceania and up to Asia and then west to Europe and across the ocean to the Americas, the program assesses how many languages are spoken in each region, the characteristics they share, and misconceptions about them. Historical background on some of the key languages of the regions is included as well.
Episode 4 • Apr 24, 2008
Civilization to Colonization
Writing is a relative latecomer to the history of language. This program tracks its emergence in Mesopotamia, China, and Mesoamerica and its spread down through the millennia via conquest-usually violent, sometimes benign-and colonization. The creation of creoles and pidgins resulting from the interaction of specific populations is also addressed, and speculation is made about the first things to be written down.
Episode 5 • May 01, 2008
Birth and Death
It is predicted that within a century more than half of the world's languages will become extinct, but as languages are lost, new ones emerge naturally or are constructed. Topics include constructed languages such as Esperanto, language endangerment and preservation, and the role of globalization in language obsolescence. The experts also discuss current language trends and offer their opinions on which languages may emerge as front-runners of the future.
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