Evolutionary science has long viewed language as, basically, a fortunate accident – a crossing of wires that happened to be extraordinarily useful, setting humans apart from other animals and onto a trajectory that would see their brains (and the pro...

If we've done our job well – and, let's be honest, if we're lucky – you'll read to the end of this description. Most likely, however, you won't. Somewhere in the middle of the next paragraph, your mind will wander off. Minds wander. That's just how i...