Words and Rules: The Ingredients of Language

How does language work, and how do we learn to speak? Why do languages change over time, and why do they have so many quirks and irregularities? In this original and totally entertaining book written in the same engaging style that illuminated his bestselling classics, "The Language Instinct" and "How the Mind Works, " Seven Pinker explores the profound mysteries of language. By picking a deceptively simple phenomenon--regular and irregular verbs--Pinker connects an astonishing array of topics in the sciences and the humanities: the history of languages; the theories of Noam Chomosky and his critics; the attempts to create language using computer simulations of neural networks; what there is to learn from children's grammatical "mistakes"; the latest techniques in identifying genes and imaging the brain; and major ideas in the history of Western philosophy. He makes sense of all this with the help of a single, powerful idea: that language comprises a mental dictionary of memorized words and a mental grammer of creative rules. His theory extends beyond language and offers insight in the very nature of the human mind.

Review :
?Pinker is now an established public intellectual, the most visible representative of the new field of cognitive science, linguistics and experimental psychology?. The very notion that English past-tense verb forms could possibly be the object of scientific inquiry will surely surprise most people. Yet over the last two decades or so a growing number of linguists and psychologists have successfully mined this unlikely seam for evidence of how the mind works. ?. [This book] is a gem.?-Mark Aronoff, "The New York Times?The real significance of Mr. Pinker's work is the theory he posits: Regular verb forms ending in -ed are generated by rules, he says, while irregular forms are retrieved from memory?.With its many interesting examples of how language works, Word and Rules is certainly worth reading and pondering.?-Bryan A. Gerner, "Wall Street Journal?To most of us, [irregular verbs] are a minor nuisance, a pitfall that may lead us into error. But to a cognitive linguist like MIT's Steven Pinker, they are a treasure trove of clues to the history of our language and, above all, to the mysteries of the human mind?. discussions of language theory?are offered not in dry academic prose, but through lucidly written and often amusing examples.? -Robert March, "Boston Globe?With its crisp prose and neat analogies, [Words and Rules is] required reading for anyone interested in cognition and language.?- "Publishers Weekly" (Starred Review)?Pick up this book and prepare yourself for a delicious romp through everything interesting about words. Why do kids make all those charming mistakes, and what did President Clinton really mean when he said [censored]? If you are not already a Steven Pinker addict,this book will make you one.? -Jared Diamond, winner of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for "Guns, Germs, and Steel?Deliciously erudite.?--William Safire, "New York Times Magazine?A riveting detective story.? -Jesse Prinz, "Chicago Tribune"The evidence Pinker deploys is both refreshingly recent and surprisingly entertaining. A lucid and convincing account of the complex mix of genes and learning that must go into producing the somewhat separate brain mechanismsthat handle regular and irregular verbs. ...Throughout, Pinker's presentation of the evidence is meticulous." -John McCrone, "The Guardian"This is a very good book. Evidence comes from all directions. We are regaled with a wealth of humorous and often original examples from every area you can think of. Pinker succeeds in generating light rather than heat in a dispute that has been noted for acrimony rather than insight."-Neil Smith, "Times Literary Supplement