A Review of Language: The Cultural Tool by Daniel L. Everett

摘要

Language: The Cultural Tool by Daniel Everett covers a broad spectrum of issues concerning the nature of language from the perspective of an anthropological linguist who has had considerable fieldwork experience studying the language and culture of the Pirahã, an indigenous Amazonian tribe in Brazil, as well as a number of other indigenous languages and cultures. This review focuses mainly on the key elements of his approach to language: language as a solution to the communication problem; Everett's conception of language; what makes language possible; how language and culture influence each other.