How A Language Was Born - And How It’ll Die

Explore the fascinating story of language emergence in a TEDx talk that delves into the creation of a homesign system in a small Iranian town. Discover how a deaf man named Hanash and his family developed a unique gestural communication system over six decades, evolving into a fully-fledged language. Learn about the linguistic features of this homesign, its similarities to established sign languages, and the implications for our understanding of natural language development. Gain insights into the speaker's personal connection to the subject as a native user of this family-created sign language. Reflect on the broader implications of this case study for language evolution, emergence, and the potential fate of this unique linguistic system.

How A Language Was Born (And How It’ll Die!) | Hatam Tamimi | TEDxPurdueU