McWhorter John. The Story of Human Language. Part 1

Teaching Company, 2004. — 226 p.The Story of Human Language is a college-level introduction to linguistics, from the basics of what language is and how words change to the development of pidgins and creoles. The author, John McWhorter, includes interesting examples from many languages, including languages that most Westerners have never heard of.What Is Language?
When Language Began
How Language Changes—Sound Change
How Language Changes—Building New Material
How Language Changes—Meaning and Order
How Language Changes—Many Directions
How Language Changes—Modern English
Language Families— Indo-European
Language Families—Tracing Indo-European
Language Families—Diversity of Structures
Language Families—Clues to the Past
The Case Against the World’s First Language