Language Topics Books : The Language Instinct: The New Science of Language and Mind (Penguin science)

The Language Instinct: The New Science of Language and Mind (Penguin science)

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Good, but bad - Pinker really goes all the way in this, bathing the reader in wonderful language, interesting ideas and good old fun and games. But the sad part is that his premise and conclusion--that language is an instinct--is a total and complete non sequitur.Being a fan of Chomsky, Pinker submits to the notion (and a notion it is) that language and communication aren t necessarily related (as Chomsky (1975) said, communication is only one function of language, and by no means an essential one). Although Chomsky in recent years has done a lot to moderate his position, and a lot of research at least suggest that the world has come out of the post-skinnerian, anti-blank slate state in which it was in the seventies, when Chomsky reigned, Pinker upholds the sharp divide between grammar and usage. Why?Because The Language Instinct isn t really about language. It s about completing Pinker s reductionist trilogy, consisting of this one, The Blank Slate, and How the Mind works. In The Language Instinct, Pinker doesn t analyze the facts and draws a valid conclusion. He simply tells us how convenient to his worldview it would be if language really was an instinct. I believe that makes The Language Instinct theology (or at best, philosophy) and not science.Still, this book is a fine introduction to chomskyan grammar, X-bars and the like. Plus it s fun. But scientifically, it lacks stringency, humility and honesty. The book is filled with thin case studies that could mean the instinct hypothesis is correct or wrong, depending on your interpretation (of course Pinker chooses correct), and quote mining (the worst example being one in which Pinker gets the one name he s quoting wrong--twice!--plus, the book he s quoting is really about something else than what Pinker claims. The book in question is Heath (1983), Ways With Words.)So, this book doesn t really tell us much about language, nor about language acquisition. What it does, however, is to educate us in Pinker s worldview, luckily for us in an entertaining manner. But need you learn of language, you must turn to someone who understands communication. Check out Pinker for laughs and a quick read, but if you want to learn something, I suggest Michael Tomasello, Jerome Bruner or Albert Bandura. They have what Pinker lack: an understanding of how complex human communication really is.

Cool . . . . but wrong - I first read this book ten years ago when I started teaching English in various parts of the world. I thought it a wonder. We are hard-wired for grammar, it must be true. My students in Europe, Asia and the Middle-East begged to differ.Now I m studying for an MA in Linguistics and I beg to differ too.Still, I think you should read this book, it s a fine piece of propaganda. Then read Jean Aitchison s The Articulate Mammal , Reith lecturer, Oxford prof and so forth. Not so cool . . . but right.

The Bookselling Instinct - Begin with a title that asserts the conclusion.Start the book by aligning the author with Chomsky in postulating an innate, universal grammar capacity. The language instinct is indeed already a done deal.Be guided carefully through selected cases that either seem to confirm the existence of a language instinct or selected cases to discount arguments to the contary.So do you think we have a language instinct? If so, you are ready for the next sell, the reasoning instinct. And the list of 40 or so other innate capabilities that we all may have.And we might find the very genes that make this possible. These instincts and genes fortunately don t seem to enslave us (as being conditionable would). They make us free and creative beings. Sound like a great payoff, right?See how how the mind creates language? By instinct. Not just any instinct, an instinct based on genes. It s all clear now, isn t it? Too deep? If not, you re ready for the actual conclusion: we all have the same mind. So, Pinker affirms, even if you can t understand a New Guinea tribesperson, you can feel comfortable as you listen to him/her that the universal grammar is at work.We are free and we are all one. Now you don t have to go back to the ancient Greeks or earlier to get that warm message of unity.Skinner and behaviorism get no creditin this book despite some promising steps by behaviorists with language, such as helping autistic children to speak. It seems hard to deny we have some great capacities and it seems hard to deny that we can be conditioned - being able to be conditioned seems one of our great capacities. Pinker says we are have the same mind, but in this book excludes behaviorist contribution, so I wonder what kind of sameness he has in mind.No one should accept this book as adequate. I expect from his credentials and his excellent writing that the author could do a lot better. A science needs to do a lot more than appeal to instinct, mind. freedom and oneness. It certainly may seem good to acknowledge we are amazing beings: you may feel warm and cozy when you finish this book, but ask yourself how you can apply what was presented in this book. Move past feeling wonderful about the structure of language and consider how language functions - as B.F. Skinner did in Verbal Behavior, a less accessible but more useful and scientific try at understanding what we are doing with language.When we seem not to have many useful answers, it s dangerous to write as if it s all clear. Don t be lulled by Pinker. If you read this book, ask yourself honestly: Do I understand now how the mind creates language? Can I even see whether the mind creates language? But first be sure to thank your mother and father for helping you to say Momma and Dada meaningfully.

First Year Psychology - I picked this up for a piece of coursework on nature vs nurture in language development. It was perfect! I liked it so much that I bought my own copy and have read it since just because I wanted to find out more. Some sections are pretty heavy, but in general the book is pretty readable. Definately a little gem.

Good to read... - ...even if you are not studying for a course related to linguistics. Pinker s writing is informative and a delight to read. He doesn t use too much in the way of jargon and keeps things simple which helps if you re entering this area with no experience. Highly recommended.




The Language Instinct: The New Science of Language and Mind (Penguin science)