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Language and the Mind cover art

Language and the Mind

By: Spencer D. Kelly,The Great Courses
Narrated by: Spencer D. Kelly
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Summary

What is our species' greatest invention? Medicine, computers, space travel? Not even close. The innovation that underlies each of our past achievements and those we still aspire to is language. Language is the ultimate invention of Homo sapiens - one that has allowed us to change the physical and social world around us in every conceivable way, and an invention that has fundamentally changed us, as well. Research has shown that whether we're sighted or blind, hearing or deaf, one or one hundred years old, communication through language is a fundamental part of what it means to be human. 

In 24 fascinating lectures, Dr. Spencer Kelly, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Colgate University, takes us on a fascinating journey into so many aspects of life we take for granted every day: our ability to remember the past and imagine a future, our use of hand gestures and facial expressions in communication, our capacity for storytelling, and so much more. You will explore fascinating questions, such as the origin of the human mind, what makes our communication so much different than other animals, whether or not language itself influences thought, and how babies learn their native language without direct teaching. You will follow along, finding yourself intrigued, surprised, and enthralled by it all because...you possess the power of language.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 The Great Courses (P)2020 The Teaching Company, LLC

What listeners say about Language and the Mind

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Interesting and at a good pace

Super informative, a wonderful synergy between psychology, biology, and linguistics. One to listen to more than once to gain a good resolution of understanding. Listening to the professor is much more manageable than reading an in-depth textbook.

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3 people found this helpful

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brilliant - inspiring!

An excellent lecturer. He is engaging without trying to be too funny all the time. He explains things clearly and always gives you a balanced view of things. His love of the subject is inspiring!

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3 people found this helpful

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Great course pack with info

so easy to listen. fascinating stuff and really well read. if you love languages and how the brain works this is your book

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1 person found this helpful

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wonderful and informative

if you're interested in the mind, how we build reality, and how language works, this is a fantastic course for you!

you will hear about many aspects of language and the mind through funny anecdotes, descriptions of scientific studies, helpful metaphors and just plain good explanation by an enthusiastic and lively professor. clear presentation of a not-always-so-clear topic.

I especially enjoyed the parts about linguistic relativism /Sapir-Whorf, bilingualism, and gestures. highly recommended.

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Superb!

I loved it ! I learnt a lot ,very informative but sometimes got a little too informative , tad bit too technical but id listen to it again!

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A hard listen!

I listened to the first 5 chapters, then felt the need to share my experience. The voice of the lecturer is very difficult for me as to listen many hours is very uncomfortable. Pronunciation of French names irritates since this book or lecture is about language, he should know simple rules as French is easier than Japanese, which he often uses/repeats phrases in, becomes also a difficult unwelcome listen.

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Interesting

I enjoyed these lectures. Good pace. Good mix of technical details and more general explanations.

The only thing that irked me isn't to do with the educational content per se, but more to do with how certain aspects were expressed. Kelly seems to fully grasp that the deaf community as a whole are proud of their language/culture etc... Yet he does not afford this consideration for autistic people. We may not have distinct languages as the deaf do, but we have our own ways of communication that are not necessarily "deficits". We too are part of a community that many of us are proud of. Yes we, the "socially inept" can also share a strong connection with our community!

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