CAN WE TALK?

An overview of the means we use to communicate, from hand gestures to augmented reality (AR) glasses.

Citing expert opinion that our need to connect with one another is as vital and innate as our need for food and shelter, Birmingham tallies up the various ways humans have found to keep in touch from deep prehistory on. She omits some topics; fashion, pheromones, architecture, politics, and art are just some of the many modes of communication that go unexamined. Still, her thought-provoking survey covers the major ones—speech and writing—and is broad enough to touch on whistling, yodeling, smoke signals (in China and certain parts of North America), homing pigeons, postal systems, and AI voice software. Central to Birmingham’s topic is the development of languages. Noting that 7,000 or so are in current use, she pays particular attention to artificial ones such as Esperanto and Klingon, discusses new ones including Nicaraguan Sign Language and “Textese,” and notes how the genocide of Indigenous Americans by European settlers caused many tongues to fade or disappear. In color photos and graphic images, a racially and culturally diverse mix of children and adults talk, write, read, and peer at screens. Along with glancing mention of recent developments such as deepfakes and “phubbing,” the author closes with a final, quick plea to put down the phones and rediscover the value of face-to-face conversation.

An intriguing look at how humans have stayed connected through the ages.