How did language start? What do all languages have in common? How does language really work? Many answers have been posed to these questions, but one thing is for sure: interaction is the combustion chamber where everything happens. We're having a chat with linguistic lion Stephen Levinson, author of The Interaction Engine.

Timestamps

• Introductions: 0:19
• These fascinating facts about language will make you (or Dr Levinson) a hit at any party: 3:47
• The mechanics of speech production: 06:01
• What's going on when we're talking or listening? 8:46
• Cultural differences in conversational norms: 20:33
• Universals of interaction: 22:10
• Metaphors of space may have been a motivator for language: 25:53
• The role of gesture in language development: 28:47
• Cooperation and empathy in language: 34:59
• What one thing explains the most about language?: 45:56

Disclosure: Hedvig is employed at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, where Dr Levinson is an emeritus director.