Rated 4 out of 5 by New Geezer from Fast-moving, sometimes difficult to follow This course was a little different than I was expecting. I was expecting more along the lines of lectures 21 - 24 and those were the lectures I followed the best and found most interesting. The course is very broad in coverage and fast moving. Some of the material is theoretical and hard to verify, especially reach-back to how language may have developed before writing about 3400 BCE. On the other hand, a number of interesting experimental results are cited to support various theories of language development. The professor is clear on where there is scientific consensus about language development and where there is much ongoing debate. I found my attention wandering more than in other Great Courses I have viewed. I believe this is mostly because the material is not in my wheelhouse which is more in the areas of physics, philosophy, ancient history, ancient writing, and economics. I have dabbled in brain sciences, but don't seem to have enough exposure to that field to retain enough information to easily follow the brain science part of this course. Before taking this course, I would take a good look at one's own subject area background and whether the broad nature and fast-moving nature of the course is right for you or not.

Rated 5 out of 5 by ProfPfrehm from Incredible Content! What a pleasure it has been to listen to Prof. Kelly's set. He's done incredible work in his field and shares many of his discoveries with us here. As a professor of linguistics myself, I've found in his enthusiastic lectures further motivation for my own teaching and research. Thanks, dear colleague, for giving us a wonderfully written and researched Great Courses set!

Rated 3 out of 5 by Just old fashioned from Content is interesting but delivery is dull Been through only four lessons to date. So far the content is interesting, but delivery is deadly dull. Just a professor sitting in front of the camera talking. Almost no production value to the presentation. I think I'd rather see him pacing in front of a classroom giving a traditional lecture than using this boring delivery method. On the plus side, the prof knows his stuff and I find it rather interesting.

Rated 5 out of 5 by Mary1619 from Title is good descriptor. I have been a customer of Great Courses for many years and this was on of the best courses I've purchased. The professor was articulate and very well versed in his field. He has the ability to be able to present complex issues in a way that someone like me who is not an expert can understand. There is a lot to ponder as one moves from narrow research findings to larger interpretation and meaning..

Rated 5 out of 5 by Hwumeei from a great course for any language teacher I finished 24 lessons in 2 days and couldn't wait for the free guidebook to arrive. I printed it out and read every word one more time. As a language teacher, teaching Mandarin as a foreign language for TK-5th grade, I can't wait to revise and update my teaching materials and tools.

Rated 5 out of 5 by Omahksiksisskstaki from Very good. A few details might have been more accurate with more peer review. (Example, description of Kuhl's experiment on social gating of babies learning of phonetic distinctions). That said, the instructor showed wide-ranging knowledge and his enthusiasm made the course engaging. Good balance of topics. I have considerable background in psycholinguistics, and so I cannot judge how understandable it would be for a beginner, but I expect that such a person would enjoy it and learn a lot.

Rated 4 out of 5 by Maribeth from Theories of Knowledge The subject is very specialized and seemed designed for someone with more experience in the field or someone studying that subject. It clearly needed to be supported by the course book. The lectures were very dense with a great deal of information to absorb. Graphics were greatly appreciated. I wouldn't recommend this for a novice level.