Using Our Words: What Language Tells Us About the Human Brain

I’ve been fascinated by words for as long as I can remember. As a student at Oxford University I delighted in the discovery of A.J. Sheard’s The Words We Use, in which I discovered that language can be like archeology, teaching us about the way our ancestors lived and thought. Knowing that Lord derives from hlaford (“loaf guarder”) and Lady derives from hlǣfdige (“loaf kneader”) tells…