Kurzbeschreibung

Although Daniel Everett was a missionary, far from converting the Pirahas, 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. He describes how he began to realise that his discoveries about the Piraha 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. Adventure, personal enlightenment and the makings of a scientific revolution proceed together in this vivid, funny and moving book.

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.