# Evolution's great mystery: Language

- Institution: TED
- Department: TED-Ed
- Speaker: Michael Corballis
- Year: 2020
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Subjects: Biology, Psychology and the brain, Society and politics, Languages and linguistics, Teaching and learning
- Source: [TED](https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_corballis_evolution_s_great_mystery_language)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

What we call language is something more specific than communication. Language is about sharing what's in our minds: stories, opinions, questions, the past or future, imagined times or places, ideas. It is fundamentally open-ended, and can be used to say an unlimited number of things. So what does language mean for humanity, and how did we come to have it? Michael Corballis investigates. \[Directed by Biljana Labovic, narrated by Addison Anderson\].

## Lectures

1. [Evolution's great mystery: Language](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/michael_corballis_evolution_s_great_mystery_language/02190b33623b), 5 min (TED's player)