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176 reviews for:
Das glücklichste Volk: sieben Jahre bei den Pirahã-Indianern am Amazonas
Daniel L. Everett
3.81 AVERAGE
176 reviews for:
Das glücklichste Volk: sieben Jahre bei den Pirahã-Indianern am Amazonas
Daniel L. Everett
3.81 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I definitely appreciated the interlude about 3/4 of the way in that could have been titled "A Short Course in Linguistics and Why Noam Chomsky is Wrong".
Not sure why I hadn't been expecting it.
This is one of those books that has much food for thought in it. The way Everett talks about the Pirahã and their lives fascinates me; especially as the ways in which cultural expectations and priorities are such an integral part of the conversation. That is a point that is made explicitly long after it is noticeable in everything Everett says.
I don't know what to make of it, beyond the ways in which I find the questions it raises about the intersection between biology, language, and culture to be deeply interesting in the way that, for example, the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis just isn't.
I also find the theological aspects, which are very much NOT the point of the book, to be deeply fascinating because of course I do. But, again, not that I know what to do with it. (I can't wait until my book chavruta finishes this one and we can discuss it.)
I am also torn because the audiobook is...fine, but there's no way I could have actually heard Pirahã as a spoken language without it so I don't know which to recommend.
Not sure why I hadn't been expecting it.
This is one of those books that has much food for thought in it. The way Everett talks about the Pirahã and their lives fascinates me; especially as the ways in which cultural expectations and priorities are such an integral part of the conversation. That is a point that is made explicitly long after it is noticeable in everything Everett says.
I don't know what to make of it, beyond the ways in which I find the questions it raises about the intersection between biology, language, and culture to be deeply interesting in the way that, for example, the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis just isn't.
I also find the theological aspects, which are very much NOT the point of the book, to be deeply fascinating because of course I do. But, again, not that I know what to do with it. (I can't wait until my book chavruta finishes this one and we can discuss it.)
I am also torn because the audiobook is...fine, but there's no way I could have actually heard Pirahã as a spoken language without it so I don't know which to recommend.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
informative
medium-paced
This book has been on my TBR shelf on Goodreads for years, like literally for years. So not only am I very glad that I finally got around to reading it, but that I also found it extremely enjoyable! I put this book on my TBR because it hit all my buttons: travel memoir, the Amazon, native tribes, and linguistics and thoughts on the nature of language. However, even though I was sure there would be a lot to love about this book, I was hesitant about it for two reasons. First, Everett first comes to the Pirahã as a missionary. Although I know that missionaries the world over to wonderful work in regards to providing education, medical care, clothes, and other basic necessities, I admit I feel somewhat uncomfortable when I consider the fact that people travel the world to impoverished communities with the sole goal of converting people to a religion that is not a part of their native cultural context. My second concern was that I knew going into the book that, thanks in part to his experiences with the Pirahã, Everett eventually becomes an atheist; I have nothing against atheists or atheism but I was concerned that the book would start from a missionary perspective and eventually become focused on Everett’s conversion to atheism in the second half; I didn’t want a book on religion- I wanted a book about the Pirahã and their culture and language.
I needn’t have worried. The missionary institution that Everett was a part of believed that the best way to convert non-Christian peoples was through providing a translation the Gospel into their native language, so Everett’s official missionary work was to learn Pirahã . And Everett’s questioning of his own faith and the loss of his belief in God was confined solely to the Epilogue. The Pirahãs, their culture, and their language took center stage, which is just how I hoped it would be.
In over 200 years of contact with explorers, colonists, and Brazilians living in the interior, the Pirahãs have never learned Portuguese and there is not a single bit of evidence that any Pirahã has ever been converted to Christianity or left the tribe for life in the towns and cities of the Amazonian interior. The Pirahã are unique in this regard; most of indigenous tribes in the surrounding area have adapted Portuguese and became farmers and Christians (at least nominally) some time ago. The Pirahãs are different: they know only a few words of Portuguese (they refuse to learn it), rely on hunting (mostly fishing) and gathering, have little to no material culture, and although they borrow tools and larger canoes from the ‘outside,’ they refuse to make or maintain them even if they have been taught how to do so. The Pirahãs regard themselves, their language, and their culture as vastly superior to all others; they don’t want anther way of life, or a new religion as Everett finds out when they tell him point-blank that if he wants to stay in their village that he has to stop talking about Jesus so often.
In addition to having a culture different from the surrounding native tribes and Brazilians, the Pirahã also have a language that is not only different from those surrounding it but is also different from any known language in the world. They have no words for colors, no counting system, and, most significantly, no recursion in their sentences (they do not embed phrases and sentences within sentences- ie. ‘The man who is tall is on the path’). According to Chomsky’s Universal Grammar theory, recursion is an obligatory part of each and every language in the world. And yet Pirahã most certainly does not have recursion (although they will speak 2 or 3 sentences one after another in such a way that they function as a recursive sentence but the sentences themselves contain no recursion). This lack of recursion in the Pirahã language has forced linguists to reconsider the very nature of language, its evolution, and its components.
I can’t express how much I enjoyed this book. Everett’s writing is engaging and personable and his respect for the Pirahãs as a people and a culture is evident on every page. A warning: although the first half of the book focuses on Everett and his family’s experiences with living in and adjusting to life in a Pirahã village and to exchanging an American lifestyle for a way of living dependent on the Amazon for survival, the second half of the book is entirely forced on the Pirahã language. Everett does his best to keep it simple while still describing what is important and unique about their language and how his findings contradict many linguists ideas about language and, most importantly, Chomsky’s Universal Grammar theory. If you’re not a fan of linguists or the ins-and-outs of language, it’s syntax, and components, then the second half of the book might seem a bit too technical or to drag a bit. But since I find these thing interesting I enjoyed this section just as much as the first part. Overall, I’m kicking myself that it took me so long to read such an informative and entertaining book. I very much enjoyed my trip to the Amazon and learning about such a unique group of people through this Everett and his experiences.
I needn’t have worried. The missionary institution that Everett was a part of believed that the best way to convert non-Christian peoples was through providing a translation the Gospel into their native language, so Everett’s official missionary work was to learn Pirahã . And Everett’s questioning of his own faith and the loss of his belief in God was confined solely to the Epilogue. The Pirahãs, their culture, and their language took center stage, which is just how I hoped it would be.
In over 200 years of contact with explorers, colonists, and Brazilians living in the interior, the Pirahãs have never learned Portuguese and there is not a single bit of evidence that any Pirahã has ever been converted to Christianity or left the tribe for life in the towns and cities of the Amazonian interior. The Pirahã are unique in this regard; most of indigenous tribes in the surrounding area have adapted Portuguese and became farmers and Christians (at least nominally) some time ago. The Pirahãs are different: they know only a few words of Portuguese (they refuse to learn it), rely on hunting (mostly fishing) and gathering, have little to no material culture, and although they borrow tools and larger canoes from the ‘outside,’ they refuse to make or maintain them even if they have been taught how to do so. The Pirahãs regard themselves, their language, and their culture as vastly superior to all others; they don’t want anther way of life, or a new religion as Everett finds out when they tell him point-blank that if he wants to stay in their village that he has to stop talking about Jesus so often.
In addition to having a culture different from the surrounding native tribes and Brazilians, the Pirahã also have a language that is not only different from those surrounding it but is also different from any known language in the world. They have no words for colors, no counting system, and, most significantly, no recursion in their sentences (they do not embed phrases and sentences within sentences- ie. ‘The man who is tall is on the path’). According to Chomsky’s Universal Grammar theory, recursion is an obligatory part of each and every language in the world. And yet Pirahã most certainly does not have recursion (although they will speak 2 or 3 sentences one after another in such a way that they function as a recursive sentence but the sentences themselves contain no recursion). This lack of recursion in the Pirahã language has forced linguists to reconsider the very nature of language, its evolution, and its components.
I can’t express how much I enjoyed this book. Everett’s writing is engaging and personable and his respect for the Pirahãs as a people and a culture is evident on every page. A warning: although the first half of the book focuses on Everett and his family’s experiences with living in and adjusting to life in a Pirahã village and to exchanging an American lifestyle for a way of living dependent on the Amazon for survival, the second half of the book is entirely forced on the Pirahã language. Everett does his best to keep it simple while still describing what is important and unique about their language and how his findings contradict many linguists ideas about language and, most importantly, Chomsky’s Universal Grammar theory. If you’re not a fan of linguists or the ins-and-outs of language, it’s syntax, and components, then the second half of the book might seem a bit too technical or to drag a bit. But since I find these thing interesting I enjoyed this section just as much as the first part. Overall, I’m kicking myself that it took me so long to read such an informative and entertaining book. I very much enjoyed my trip to the Amazon and learning about such a unique group of people through this Everett and his experiences.
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I really enjoyed the parts of this book about traveling and living with the Pirahas. I was less interested in the language piece of it but maybe I should have noted that before I read a book written by a linguist. I would have enjoyed more details on how he ended up completely changing his religious beliefs beyond just the 10 pages at the end.
adventurous
challenging
informative
You know know that situation when you meet somebody and they really annoy you but later on, much to your surprise, you end being very good friends with them? That's what happened with me and Mr Everett. My initial reaction to him and what I was reading was: Oh geez, what an American! And I apologise to all my American friends, I love you all, but I did mean that pejoratively. One example: Everett was really upset with all the people of Brazil for seemingly not giving a damn about the fact his wife was very sick with malaria, and maybe dying even. It took him YEARS to realise that the reason behind was that poor Brazilian people keep dying of all sorts of diseases and the world doesn't stop turning, so Brazilian people didn't understand why it should stop turning because of an American being sick. It really did take him YEARS to realise that. Let me just say in my finest Americanese - DOH!
This book was all over the place. It went like this: I went to Amazanionan Jungle to talk about God to the Indians. My wife got malaria. The Pirahas don't have numerals. My kids grew up in the jungle and the Pirahas talk about sex a lot. They also don't have recurssion in their language, so clearly Chomsky was wrong. Also, there is no God (sorry if this last bit was a spoiler to some).
But I forgive Everett everything because anyone who says Chomsky is wrong and manages to undermine his whole silly theory is a friend of mine.
The best chapter of the book is when Everett after 20 or 30 years realizes that the Pirahas will never be converted (did I mention he went there as a missonary?) and consequently comes to the conclusion that the Bible is a load of rubbish. Here are a few quotes because to get to that chapter you have to read first a few about recurssion in the language, Chomsky's Universal Grammar theory and general musings about linguistics. I am not sure you have it in you to do that, so here are the best bits. You can thank me later.
"On our furlough, I thought again of the challenge of the missionary: to convince a happy, satisfied people that they are lost and need Jesus as their personal saviour. My evangelism professor at Biola University, Dr. Curtis Mitchell used to say. 'You've gotta get 'em lost before you can get 'em saved.' If people don't perceive a serious lack of some sort in their lives, they are less likely to embrace new beliefs, especially about God and salvation"
So that's how it's done! I see!
"'The women are afraid of Jesus. We do not want him.'
'Why not?' I asked, wondering what triggered this declaration.
'Because last night he came to our village and tried to have sex with our women. He chased them around the village, trying to stick his large penis into them.'
Kaaxaooi proceeded to show me with his two hands held far apart how long Jesus's penis was - a good three feet."
"'The Pirahas know that you left your family and your own land to come here and live with us. We know that you do this to tell us about Jesus. You want us to live like Americans. But the Pirahas do not want to live like Americans. We like to drink. We like more than one woman. We don't want Jesus. But we like you. You can stay with us. But we don't want to hear any more about Jesus. OK?'"
A winner.
This book was all over the place. It went like this: I went to Amazanionan Jungle to talk about God to the Indians. My wife got malaria. The Pirahas don't have numerals. My kids grew up in the jungle and the Pirahas talk about sex a lot. They also don't have recurssion in their language, so clearly Chomsky was wrong. Also, there is no God (sorry if this last bit was a spoiler to some).
But I forgive Everett everything because anyone who says Chomsky is wrong and manages to undermine his whole silly theory is a friend of mine.
The best chapter of the book is when Everett after 20 or 30 years realizes that the Pirahas will never be converted (did I mention he went there as a missonary?) and consequently comes to the conclusion that the Bible is a load of rubbish. Here are a few quotes because to get to that chapter you have to read first a few about recurssion in the language, Chomsky's Universal Grammar theory and general musings about linguistics. I am not sure you have it in you to do that, so here are the best bits. You can thank me later.
"On our furlough, I thought again of the challenge of the missionary: to convince a happy, satisfied people that they are lost and need Jesus as their personal saviour. My evangelism professor at Biola University, Dr. Curtis Mitchell used to say. 'You've gotta get 'em lost before you can get 'em saved.' If people don't perceive a serious lack of some sort in their lives, they are less likely to embrace new beliefs, especially about God and salvation"
So that's how it's done! I see!
"'The women are afraid of Jesus. We do not want him.'
'Why not?' I asked, wondering what triggered this declaration.
'Because last night he came to our village and tried to have sex with our women. He chased them around the village, trying to stick his large penis into them.'
Kaaxaooi proceeded to show me with his two hands held far apart how long Jesus's penis was - a good three feet."
"'The Pirahas know that you left your family and your own land to come here and live with us. We know that you do this to tell us about Jesus. You want us to live like Americans. But the Pirahas do not want to live like Americans. We like to drink. We like more than one woman. We don't want Jesus. But we like you. You can stay with us. But we don't want to hear any more about Jesus. OK?'"
A winner.
Heavy on the linguistics side (which I liked), but it's also a fascinating observation of a culture I could never personally be aware of. It also has overarching themes about happiness and how culture (and religion) plays it's part in that ever south after life goal.