Although Daniel Everett was a missionary, far from converting the Pirahas, they converted him. He shows the slow, meticulous steps by which he gradually mastered their language and his gradual realisation that its unusual nature closely reflected its speakers' startlingly original perceptions of the world. He describes how he began to realise that his discoveries about the Piraha language opened up a new way of understanding how language works in our minds and in our lives, and that this way was utterly at odds with Noam Chomsky's universally accepted linguistic theories. The perils of passionate academic opposition were then swiftly conjoined to those of the Amazon in a debate whose outcome has yet to be won. Adventure, personal enlightenment and the makings of a scientific revolution proceed together in this vivid, funny and moving book.
Don't Sleep There are Snakes
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'Dan Everett has written an excellent book. First, it is a very powerful autobiographical account of his stay with the Piraha in the jungles of the Amazon basin. Second, it is a brilliant piece of ethnographical description of life among the Piraha. And third, and perhaps most important in the long run, his data and his conclusions about the language of the Piraha run dead counter to the prevailing orthodoxy in linguistics. If he is right, he will permanently change our conception of human language.'
-- John Searle, Slusser Professor of Philosophy, University of California, Berkeley
'Everett is the most interesting man I have ever met... a fascinating read' -- Edward Gibson, Professor of Cognitive Sciences, MIT
-- John Searle, Slusser Professor of Philosophy, University of California, Berkeley
'Everett is the most interesting man I have ever met... a fascinating read' -- Edward Gibson, Professor of Cognitive Sciences, MIT
Book Description
Daniel Everett took his family to convert the Pirahas (pronounced pee-da-HAN), a remote people of the Amazonian jungle whose language no outsider had yet been able to understand. They encountered malaria, snakes, jaguars, spiders, insects, and a plot to kill them as they slept. But Everett gradually gained entry to this curious culture, and gave up trying to Christianise it. Along the way he discovered a language which disproved the most established tenets of linguistics.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
114 of 116 people found the following review helpful
By Mr. N. T. Baxter
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
I bought this book on Saturday. It's Monday now and I've just finished it, which for me is very fast indeed, and a reflection on what a fascinating and well written book it is.
I heard the author talking about his travels and studies on BBC Radio 4 and thought his ideas about linguistics were interesting, but when I had a quick look at the book before I bought it I realised it was much more than an work about the theory of language. It's actually a rare combination of exciting adventure story, anthropology AND linguistics. The conclusions Everett reaches after 30 years of living amongst the Piraha people get right to the heart of what makes us who we are as human beings, and provide a fascinating insight into another way of life we would otherwise never have heard of, or at least would understand only superficially.
The first half of the book focuses on the lives of the Piraha (and the experiences of Everett living with them), the second half focuses on the linguistics. This structure works really well and the book is a great fusion of entertainment and information throughout.
I heard the author talking about his travels and studies on BBC Radio 4 and thought his ideas about linguistics were interesting, but when I had a quick look at the book before I bought it I realised it was much more than an work about the theory of language. It's actually a rare combination of exciting adventure story, anthropology AND linguistics. The conclusions Everett reaches after 30 years of living amongst the Piraha people get right to the heart of what makes us who we are as human beings, and provide a fascinating insight into another way of life we would otherwise never have heard of, or at least would understand only superficially.
The first half of the book focuses on the lives of the Piraha (and the experiences of Everett living with them), the second half focuses on the linguistics. This structure works really well and the book is a great fusion of entertainment and information throughout.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Daniel Everett's beautufully written account of a linguist and missionary who arrogantly intends to 'convert' an obscure and endangered Amazonian tribe to Christianity, and thereby 'save' them. But he discovers that they are the happiest people he has ever met, living completely in the moment, with none of the psychological hang-ups that plague so-called civilized people. In a moving and courageous book, the author describes his deep admiration forthe tribe and eventual decision to give up 'the crutches' of orthodox religion and embrace a spirituality of the now.
Don't Sleep, There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle
Don't Sleep, There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Anka
Format:Paperback
I love this book. It is very interesting to read about the Amazonian tribe, fascinating to hear about people that live completely in the present and have no need for our knowledge, technology or God. I also enjoyed the description of their language - a language that can be spoken, hummed or even whistled. I have to admit though that I skipped the chapter about linguistic theroy.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The end of religion
Daniel Everett must be praised for his honesty. As a young man, he was dispatched in Amazonia to convert the Pirahâs. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Serge Berthier
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well worth reading
This book should be read by every missionary and potential missionary as well as by every linguist. The book gives one much to think about.
Published 3 months ago by E K Lloyd
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant! Entertaining!
This book grips you right from the first page and has a wide appeal. It is an extraordinary real life story which reads like an adventure thriller but at the same time is an... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mirandina
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good book
Great book; well written. Ideal for anthropologists and linguists, but also of a style comprehensible to the general reader too.
Published 12 months ago by Joe
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating, but what about speaking in tongues?
Learning about the life of an obscure tribe of about three hundred souls in the middle of the Amazonian jungle was a fascinating read; as was the section on the Piraha language and... Read more
Published 14 months ago by T. G. S. Hawksley
5.0 out of 5 stars
missionary gets converted by amazonian tribe
Evangelical American Missionary spends years with a tribe whose language is unrelated to any other living language in an attempt to translate the bible into their language. Read more
Published 14 months ago by medeema
5.0 out of 5 stars
sleeping with snakes
Wonderful book. Interesting and challenging. HIghly recommended if you are interested in other cultures, what makes us human, language and mathematics. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Brian
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good but boring in parts
I got this as I like travel writing and hadn't read anything about the amazon before. After starting the book, I was a little disappointed to find it wasn't really what I expected. Read more
Published 23 months ago by C88
5.0 out of 5 stars
Insightful, entertaining and uplifting
This book was recommended by someone who works with tribes in the Amazon. I say that because it's not something I would normally pick up. Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2011 by J. Cowles
3.0 out of 5 stars
The blurb is misleading
I bought this book, eager to read about a combination of linguistics and anthropology seen through the life of someone whose own life changed cataclysmically. Read more
Published on 20 Dec 2010 by Anouk
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