Caleb Everett

Although the subtitle promises a look at "How Languages Reveal Differences in How We Think," the author is far more interested in the languages themselves—particularly the Karitiâna language of the Amazon that he knows well—than in the differences in human experience that they may reflect. Despite a more engaging style than an academic author usually has at his command, this remains a somewhat dry tome disinclined to speculation of how language intersects with consciousness. The Whorf hypothesis, which I would think would influence vast sections of a book like this (whether positively or negatively), doesn't even rate an index entry. "I have no wish to revisit this hypothesis, nor the many debates it has sparked...in fields like linguistics, anthropology, and philosophy." Yes, it's certainly a hot-button topic. But it leaves the author in the position of an expert on evolution who refuses to discuss competing theories of natural selection. Bottom line: this book is too much the product of a scientific linguist, unwilling to speculate where data is missing or confusing.… (more)