Why Only Us: Language and Evolution

This groundbreaking book by Noam Chomsky and Robert Berwick offers a comprehensive evolutionary account of language, drawing on recent developments in linguistic theory.

The authors explore the biological perspective on language, computational efficiency, and the tension between Darwin's gradual change and contemporary understanding of evolutionary change.

They also examine evidence from nonhuman animals, including vocal learning in songbirds.

With a focus on the remarkable ability of humans to acquire any language, this book provides a fascinating insight into the extraordinary phenomenon of language.