🚀 go-pugleaf

----------------------------Original message----------------------------

>
> In article <BASQUE-L%94042515131245@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Marta-Lourdes Llano
>  <EGMBH@CUNYVM.BITNET> writes:
> >THE ECONOMIST - APRIL 9TH 1994 - Page 95
> >
> >LIFE'S CHATTERBOXES
> >The Language Instinct: The New Science of Language and Mind
> >By Steven Pinker
> >Allen Lane; 494 pages
> >> >
> >A book about language had better be well written, and Mr. Pinker's
> >book is superbly so.  Rarely can such a rich harvest of new ideas
> >and profound insights have been made so accessible by one of
their
> >inventors.  Whether he is laying into Washoe chimptrainers,
> >Whorfian deconstructionists and language marvens such as
William
> >Safire, or teasing out examples of how the brain encodes meaning
> >through sentence structure, he is unfailingly articulate, funny and
> >clear.  This book is to Chomsky as Shakespeare is to Spenser.
> >.
>
By chance I am about 1 quarter thru reading this book. I feel it doesn't
deserve the type of report presented by the reviewer. It is clearly
writtten no doubt but it has its own failings in shoddy reasoning and
only seeing the conclusions that suit the philosophy that is being
preached. It has very good coverage of the current arguements about
language but is as biased and blind as the theories it pillories. Read it
with a balanced eye and don't be sucked in by derision which is
substituted for a lack of a comprehensive defense.
Jon
Prof Jon Patrick
Dept. of Information Systems     BH 64 -6- 350 5552
Massey University                AH ?
Palmerston North                 Fax 64-6- 350 5611
New Zealand