We intuitively know what words are—after all, we use them every day. But how do you truly define what a word is when the rules are different for every language?
Dive into the endlessly fascinating field of linguistics and explore the nature of language across time and around the globe with linguist Laura Burrell. In The Mysteries of Human Language: What Is in a Word?, you will consider how language connects us to each other and to the world around us in an immense variety of ways, from the basic building blocks of sound and meaning to the complexities of communication across the ages.
Pilot Lecture: The Mysteries of Human Language—What’s in a Word?
What is a word? The answer may be less straightforward than you think.
Overview
01: The Mysteries of Human Language: What’s in a Word?
We use words every day, yet the definition of what a word is can be difficult to articulate. Join linguist Laura Burrell to explore the nature of language at its most basic and consider how this form of communication connects us, even as it differs widely across regions and cultures.
29 min
