Summary of How We Talk

“What Is Language Like?”  

Most people take about 200 milliseconds to start answering a question – the speed of a single eye blink. Among every 60 words most people speak, at least one will be “um” or “uh.” While chatting, people often say “huh?,” “who?” or another monosyllable to clarify what they heard. Even the most straightforward verbal exchange between two people is truly a complex “precision-timed achievement.” When people chat, the “conversation machine” moves them to link words in ways that adhere to societal and interpretive guidelines. Even the way people “take turns” when they converse varies across languages.

What would interplanetary aliens think about the way humans speak? Some experts, such as American linguist Noam Chomsky, think aliens would assume that folks on Earth use only one language. Languages spoken around the world may not sound the same, but those who use them take turns speaking in similar ways. Everyone uses terms like “mm-hmm,” “um” and “huh?” Depending on the culture, a one-second lag in a conversation can mean the difference in response times that...