The Language Instinct: How The Mind Creates Language

Description

"A brilliant, witty, and altogether satisfying book." — New York Times Book Review The classic work on the development of human language by the world’s leading expert on language and the mind In The Language Instinct, the world's expert on language and mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, and how it evolved. With deft use of 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. 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. This edition includes an update on advances in the science of language since The Language Instinct was first published. Contents Preface 1. An Instinct to Acquire an Art 2. Chatterboxes 3. Mentalese 4. How Language Works 5. Words, Words, Words 6. The Sounds of Silence 7. Talking Heads 8. The Tower of Babel 9. Baby Born Talking—Describes Heaven 10. Language Organs and Grammar Genes 11. The Big Bang 12. The Language Mavens 13. Mind Design Notes References Glossary Searchable Terms P.S. Insights, Interviews & More… About the Author Praise Other Books by Steven Pinker Credits Copyright About the Publisher