If you enjoy this article you may enjoy Russ Roberts interview of John McWhorter [0] where they discuss the evolution of language and Johns book "Words on the move" . give it a listen... approx 1 hour (the transcript is there which is also probably faster but I enjoyed the charisma and enthusiasm.)

[0] http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2017/08/john_mcwhorter.html