The Pirahã are an Indigenous group of around 700 people living in the Maici River area of northwestern Brazil. They live a semi-nomadic life in small villages. Daniel Everett, a linguist, spent years studying the Pirahã language, starting in the late 1970s. He initially aimed to convert them to Christianity but later focused on studying their language and culture.
Everett's research suggests that the Pirahã language has words for "one" (hói) and "two" (hoí), differentiated by tone. However, he later argued that these words mean "small quantity" and "larger quantity," not specific numbers. The language also lacks quantifier terms like "all" or "each." Furthermore, the language is said to lack color terms and has no concept of history beyond two generations.
Everett found that the Pirahã people struggled to grasp numerical concepts, even after months of training. His son, Caleb, later conducted experiments confirming these difficulties. The Pirahã could not consistently perform simple mathematical tasks. This work challenged the theories of Noam Chomsky, who proposed that humans have an innate capacity for language, known as "universal grammar."
Everett argued that the Pirahã language, shaped by its unique culture, contradicted Chomsky's idea. However, many linguists have criticized Everett's findings. They argue that the grammatical features of the Pirahã language were misinterpreted. Despite the debate, the Pirahã language remains a compelling example of linguistic diversity, highlighting the varied ways humans speak, count, and reason.