Words and Rules: The Ingredients of Language - Softcover

Pinker, Steven

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062011901 ISBN 13: 9780062011909

Publisher: Perennial, 2011

Synopsis

“Deliciously erudite.” —William Safire, New York Times Magazine

“A riveting detective story.” —Chicago Tribune

Steven Pinker, author of the landmark bestsellers The Language Instinct,How the Mind Works, and The Blank Slate—and one of the world’s leading cognitive scientists—and offers an eye-opening explanation of how human beings learn and use language inWords and Rules. First published in 2000, Words and Rules remains one of Pinker’s most provocative and accessible books, illuminating the fascinating relationship between the brain, the mind, and the how language makes us human.

About this title

From the Back Cover

How does language work? How do we learn to speak? Why do languages change? Why do they have so many quirks? What does language reveal about the mind?

Steven Pinker explores the mysteries of language in this original and hugely entertaining book. Pinker uses a deceptively simple phenomenon regular and irregular verbs to illuminate an astonishing array of topics: the history of languages, what we can learn from children's grammatical mistakes, the genetic and neurobiological underpinnings of language, and some of the major themes in Western philosophy. The key idea that language comprises a mental dictionary of memorized words and a mental grammar of creative rules extends beyond language, offering insight into the nature of thinking. For fans ofThe Language Instinct and The Stuff of Thought, here is another cornucopia of ideas about language and mind.

Edition details

• Publisher: Perennial
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062011901
• ISBN 13: 9780062011909
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 348