Rhyme And Reason: An Introduction To Minimalist Syntax

Uriagereka, Juan

ISBN 10: 0262210142 / ISBN 13: 9780262210140

Published by The MIT Press [1998], Cambridge, 1998

About this Item

Bound in the publisher's original black cloth with the spine stamped in blue. Dust jacket.

Seller Inventory # 9003045

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Rhyme And Reason: An Introduction To Minimalist Syntax
• Publisher: The MIT Press [1998], Cambridge
• Publication Date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0262210142
• ISBN 13: 9780262210140
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Book fine, Dust jacket fine.
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Seller catalogs:
  • Literature
  • Book

About this title

Synopsis

Winner in the category of Linguistics in the 1998 Professional/Scholarly Publishing Annual Awards Competition presented by the Association of American Publishers, Inc. foreword by Massimo Piatelli-Palmarini


Winner of the Association of American Publishers' 1998 PSP Award for Best New Book in Literature and Language

This unusual book takes the form of a dialogue between a linguist and another scientist. The dialogue takes place over six days, with each day devoted to a particular topic—and the ensuing digressions. The role of the linguist is to present the fundamentals of the minimalist program of contemporary generative grammar. Although the linguist serves essentially as a voice for Noam Chomsky's ideas, he is not intended to be a portrait of Chomsky himself. The other scientist functions as a kind of devil's advocate, making the arguments that linguists tend to face from those in the "harder" sciences. In addition to the device of the dialogue, the author employs a myriad of graphics—everything from classical paintings to contemporary cartoons.

The author does far more than simply present the minimalist program. He conducts a running argument over the status of theoretical linguistics as a natural science. He raises the general issues of how we conceive words, phrases, and transformations, and what these processes tell us about the human mind. He also attempts to reconcile generative grammar with the punctuated equilibrium version of evolutionary theory. For according to the linguist, the linguistic system in our species emerged as a complex system, comparable to other complex phenomena in life that elude strict adaptationist explanations.

In his foreword, Massimo Piatelli-Palmarini says, "The vast number of readers who have been enthralled by Godel, Escher, Bach may well like also this syntactic companion, a sort of ‘Chomsky, Fibonacci, Bach.’"

From the Publisher

A unique and lively introduction to mimimalist syntax
This unusual book takes the form of a dialogue between a linguist and another scientist. The dialogue takes place over six days, with each day devoted to a particular topic- and the ensuing digressions. The role of the linguist is to present the fundamentals of the minimalist program of contemporary generative grammar. Although the linguist serves esentially as a voice for Noam Chomsky's ideas, he is not intended to be a portrait of Chomsky himself. The other scientist functions as a kind of devil's advocate, making the arguments that linguists tend to face from those in the "harder" sciences. In addition to the device of the dialogue, the author employs a myriad of graphics-everything from classical paintings to contemporary cartoons.

The author does far more than simply present the minimalist program. He conducts a running argument over the status of theoretical linguistics as a natural science. He raises the general issues of how we conceive words, phrases, and transformations, and what these processes tell us about the human mind. He also attempts to reconcile generative grammar with the punctuated equilibrium version of evolutionary theory. For according to the linguist, the linguistic system in our species emerged as a complex system, comparable to other complex phenomena in life that elude strict adaptationist explanations.

Juan Uriagereka is Associate Professor in the linguistics Department at the University of Maryland at College Park.

In his foreword, Massimo Piatelli-Palmarini says, "The vast number of readers who have been enthralled by Godel, Escher, Bach may well like also this syntactic companion, a sort of 'Chomsky, Fibonacci, Bach'."

"There is nothing run-of-the mill about RHYME AND REASON. It is hard to imagine a book that manages to explain both the nuts and bolts of the theory of language and its deeper significance more lucidly or engagingly. I can't think of a better introduction to linguistic psychology- or for that matter, to the cognitive sciences." - C.P. Otero, Professor of Romance Linguistics, University of California, Los Angeles