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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 400
EAN: 9780060958336
Edition: 1
ISBN: 0060958332
Label: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 544
Publication Date: November 01, 2000
Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
Release Date: November 07, 2000
Studio: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
Alternate Versions: Click to Display
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
In this classic study, the world's leading expert on language and the mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about languages: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, and how it envolved. With wit, erudition, and deft use it everyday examples of humor and wordplay, Steven Pinker weaves our vast knowledge of language into a compelling story: language is a human instinct, wired into our brains by evolution like web spinning in spiders or sonar bats. "The Language Instinct" received the William James Book Prize from the American Psychological Association and the Public Interest Award from the Linguistics Society of America.
Average Rating: 
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I have to say, I really did like Pinker's book. This book the first of its kind that I have ever read so it may not be right for me to comment. However, I found the subject of language acquisition intriguing. Interesting case studies were revealed, however, I would say that maybe too many cases were offered. The writing style is extremely clear and it is a bit humorous. Toward 3/4 through the book, I began to get a little bored, but, again, I must admit that it is mostly because I did not understand the information that he was communicating. (Like I said, I have never read a book like this before.) Particularly interesting was the chapter on the Big Bang theory and how internal grammar structures within an individual can be harmonized with Darwinian evolution. This I found most interesting. However, in my opinion, Pinker did not answer this harmonization with a definite appeal to serious questions raised. It may be the case that I just did not understand what Pinker was implying, but as ... Read More
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If you are someone who is not content until they know the HOW and WHY of everything, then this book is for you.
This book explains, in layman's terms, the how and why of language. It's very thorough for its purpose, covering everything from letters, to how we make sound, to why syntax is what it is, to how babies 'learn' to speak, and too many other things to mention.
Coming from the point of knowing nothing on the topic, the whole read was nothing short of fascinating for me. It's the type of book where every 10 pages or so you get those "oh, so that's why...." moment about something you have done all your life, and the nine pages in between are mostly real world examples of that fascinating tidbit in action.
Now, it has to be noted that I'm no linguist (even if I do pay the mortgage by writing in languages only computers understand), but this book is designed for me. This book probably isn't designed for someone who needs to know this ... Read More
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As someone who has had a fascination about languages, this book was the perfect choice for my undergraduate neuroscience class--it's objective is to elucidate how the mind creates language. The prose is extremely well-written and complex ideas clearly explained. Pinker takes the reader on a very fun and thought-provoking journey, providing fascinating insights for both the casually-interested reader and linguists alike. I will highlight on some key points presented throughout.
The first sections illustrate the key themes that Pinker will elaborate on throughout the rest of the book. He presents language as being an evolutionary adaptation that is unique to humans, just as much as a trunk is an adaptation for elephants or sonar for a bat. It is an instinct that we innately are born with. One of the myths about language is the notion that language is taught or transmitted, whether from mother to baby, or from one civilization to another. In actuality, children seem to be born ... Read More
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I found this book to be an interesting and informative read. While I am interested in linguistics (and thus was probably a bit more excited about the topic than the average person), I think this book would also be enjoyable for anyone. Pinker writes in an understandable manner, mostly avoiding linguistic jargon and always explaining complex topics in a generally understandable way.
Additionally, the latest edition includes a "P.S." addition at the end that incudes Q&A with Pinker as well as a summary for each chapter of new advances that have been made since the book was originally written--a nice addition to an already great book.
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We all talk. (Some of us more than others). But all humans -- barring a problem such as deafness -- talk. Even our deaf friends talk by means of a complicated language of visual signs.
And Steven Pinker tells this story, the story of human language, and why it's so essential a part of our humanity, well. Following Chomsky, he posits a universal language structure, an innate part of our being who we are, and how small children grow quickly into complex grammatical and syntactical structures.
And for the most part, this is a good read. My only complaint is that on occasions, Dr. Pinker waxes a bit too eloquent, telling more information than is needed for the argument, giving pages and pages of examples when one or 2 would do. But this is a good introduction to the whole question of why and how we talk, and by inference how we think.
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