Words and Rules: The Ingredients of Language Contributor(s): Pinker, Steven (Author) |
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ISBN: 0465072704 ISBN-13: 9780465072705 Publisher: Basic Books OUR PRICE: $17.09 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: July 2015 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Language Arts & Disciplines | Linguistics - Historical & Comparative |
Dewey: 415 |
Lexile Measure: 1360 |
Physical Information: 1.3" H x 5.5" W x 8.2" (0.70 lbs) 384 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: If you are not already a Steven Pinker addict, this book will make you one. -- Jared Diamond In Words and Rules, Steven Pinker explores profound mysteries of language by picking a deceptively simple phenomenon -- regular and irregular verbs -- and examining it from every angle. With humor and verve, he covers an astonishing array of topics in the sciences and humanities, from the history of languages to how to simulate languages on computers to major ideas in the history of Western philosophy. Through it all, Pinker presents a single, powerful idea: that language comprises a mental dictionary of memorized words and a mental grammar of creative rules. The idea extends beyond language and offers insight into the very nature of the human mind. This is a sparkling, eye-opening, and utterly original book by one of the world's leading cognitive scientists. |