Linguist Daniel Everett has worked with the Pirahã people of the Amazon for decades.

They have an unusual language with no words for numbers or colours. And this language is finding itself at the centre of some explosive claims about language and cognition.

Our resident linguist Daniel Midgley interviews Dr Everett on this episode of Talk the Talk.


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104: Language and the Pirahã 1 (featuring Daniel Everett)

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Doing the podcast is my dream job. Not only do I get to talk about language every week, but I also get to talk about language with some of my linguistic idols. Dr Daniel Everett is definitely on the list. I’ve talked about his work with the Pirahã people of the Amazon many times in my classes, but here I got to ask him about what it all means.

Now everyone on my interview list can move up one. What linguistic types should I go after next?


Show notes

Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes: Daniel Everett’s adventures among the Pirahã
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1859528,00.html

A review of Language: The Cultural Tool
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/mar/15/language-cultural-daniel-everett-review

“The Grammar of Happiness”: A documentary featuring Dr Everett
http://www.essential-media.com/node/119