ThoughtGallery.org > Annual Celebration of the Library: “How the Voice Made Us Human”

Annual Celebration of the Library: “How the Voice Made Us Human”

Although other animals communicate vocally, they can’t sculpt the sounds into language. Our amazing, naturally selected control over our breathing, our vocal cords, and our lips and tongue—resulting in the ability to communicate with spoken language—is what made a scattered band of small, biped primates in sub-Saharan Africa the dominant species on Earth. The theory of universal grammar, which sees language as a phenomenon that evolved for thought rather than communication, virtually erases the role of voice and speech in our evolution. In this talk, journalist and author John Colapinto will discuss his new book, which explains why this role is so important. All attendees are invited to a reception with the speaker after the event. Light refreshments will be served.

About the Speaker

John Colapinto is a staff writer at The New Yorker and was previously a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, where he won a 1998 National Magazine Award for a story about a boy who underwent a sex change in infancy. This story became the bestselling book, “As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl.” His articles have also appeared in Vanity Fair, Esquire, Mademoiselle, and Us Weekly. His novel, “About the Author,” was nominated for an International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.











When: Thu., Apr. 11, 2019 at 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Where: The New York Academy of Medicine
1216 Fifth Ave.
212-822-7200
Price: Free
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Although other animals communicate vocally, they can’t sculpt the sounds into language. Our amazing, naturally selected control over our breathing, our vocal cords, and our lips and tongue—resulting in the ability to communicate with spoken language—is what made a scattered band of small, biped primates in sub-Saharan Africa the dominant species on Earth. The theory of universal grammar, which sees language as a phenomenon that evolved for thought rather than communication, virtually erases the role of voice and speech in our evolution. In this talk, journalist and author John Colapinto will discuss his new book, which explains why this role is so important. All attendees are invited to a reception with the speaker after the event. Light refreshments will be served.

About the Speaker

John Colapinto is a staff writer at The New Yorker and was previously a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, where he won a 1998 National Magazine Award for a story about a boy who underwent a sex change in infancy. This story became the bestselling book, “As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl.” His articles have also appeared in Vanity Fair, Esquire, Mademoiselle, and Us Weekly. His novel, “About the Author,” was nominated for an International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

Buy tickets/get more info now