Chronologically and perhaps otherwise connected with Peter Austin’s post on CDFM are discussions of Dan Everett’s claims about the Pirahã, a Brazilian group, which have hit the news recently (thanks Jeremy). The good thing is that Everett’s claims can be tested. The hyperbole surrounding them is probably bad – for the people, and for the study of language.
The online slide-show accompanying John Colapinto’s April 16 New Yorker article contains a slide of Everett’s disembodied head emerging from a river, while Tooi sits in a boat nearby, with a strange expression on his face. For more, check out Everett’s article in Current Anthropology (2006), and the response (on the useful archive site Lingbuzz) by Nevins, Pesetsky and Rodriguez, and Everett’s come-back. Language Log has some good posts on the claims – most recently by Paul Kay’ on the claims about colour terms.
Follow1 thought on “Piranha Dandy”
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Everett’s original 2005 paper is also freely available from here.