Aug 24, 2026 · 1 hr 5 min · 29 segments
⚠️Content Warning: This episode contains sustained discussion of animal injury and death, including the killing of working animals, animals shot after escaping, and graphic period newspaper…
Karen StollznowHostIf you're a fan of Monster Talk, you will absolutely love Dr. Karen Stollznow's latest book, Beyond Words, How We Learn, Use, and Lose Language.
What is language really? Where did it come from? And how did we figure it out? How do babies go from babbling to speaking full sentences? Why can some people juggle multiple languages while others wrestle with one? How does language work? And what happens when it doesn't? With sharp insight and a sense of humor, Stolznow dives into the strange and endlessly fascinating world of language and the mind.
From animal communication to AI, wild children to word slips, and first words to last, this book takes you deep into the science of psycholinguistics, where nothing is ever simple and everything speaks volumes.
Packed with pop culture, real-life cases, and eye-opening experiments, Beyond Words reveals how we learn, use, and lose language, and what it all says about being human.
If you've ever fumbled for a word or feared forgetting your own name, this thoughtful, surprising book is for you.
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