We use things every single day, and call them by their names. I pick up my iPhone. I drink my Fresca (shut up). But the names don’t just appear. It’s actually someone’s job — and they’re great at it.
Every two weeks, the last person capable of fluently speaking one of humankind’s over 6000 languages dies. Let that sink in. Then, consider that two linguists have discovered a new one – unlike any other ever encountered in history.
We usually assume words are just a way of expressing ideas already in our heads. But what if it’s the other way around? Some linguists say the languages we speak fundamentally alter the way we think and even perceive reality.
