·        “That language began with melodious vocal exchanges between mother and offspring is a most attractive idea. It connects language with love, reassurance, and early bodily rhythms. Instead of the traditional focus on words and grammar, Dean Falk's refreshing new theory has the added bonus of injecting music, another human universal, into the language debate.” —Franz de Waal, author of Our Inner Ape

·        “Finding Our Tongues is an entertaining book, which can be read by both specialists and non-specialists alike. Dean Falk convincingly argues in favor of the universality of motherese in human cultures, and proposes the bold hypothesis that the acquisition of baby talk in early humans represented a key development in language origins. This book will surely stimulate debate about deep and challenging questions on human nature.” —Francisco Aboitiz, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile

·        “Drawing on an impressive array of data, from observations of chimpanzees to neuroimaging, Falk, an anthropologist, suggests that the mother-child relationship trained our ancestors for language, while also contributing to the development of music and art.” —Psychology Today