false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165543216m/5753.jpg 5753 8 Human languages are capable of expressing a literally endless number of different ideas. How do we manage it-- so effortlessly that we scarcely ever stop to think about it? In <I>Words and Rules: The Ingredients of Language</I>, a look at the simple concepts that we use to devise works as complex as love sonnets and tax laws, renowned neuroscientist and linguist <i>Steven Pinker</i> shows us how. The latest linguistic research suggests that each of us stores a limited (though large) number of words and word-parts in memory and manipulates them with a much smaller number of rules to produce every writing and utterance, and Pinker explains every step of the way with engaging good humor. <i>Steven Pinker's</i> enthusiasm for the subject infects the reader, particularly as he emphasizes the relation between how we communicate and how we think. What does it mean that a small child who has never heard the word <i>wug</i> can tell a researcher that when one wug meets another, there are two wugs? Some rule must be telling the child that English plurals end in -s, which also explains mistakes like <i>mouses</i>. Is our communication linked inextricably with our thinking? <i>Steven Pinker</i> says yes, and it's hard to disagree. <I>Words and Rules</I> is an excellent introduction to and overview of current thinking about language, and will greatly reward the careful reader with new ways of thinking about how we think, talk, and write. 9152 1999 Words and Rules (Science Masters) total:216|5:52|4:84|3:64|2:13|1:3| 216 817 418 24 4 2 false false Tue May 06 01:55:27 -0700 2008 Tue May 06 01:55:27 -0700 2008
1) He writes from a c...more...]]> 5 1 false false Fri Jan 04 04:00:58 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 04 04:28:13 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Aug 04 15:09:08 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 11 09:36:51 -0700 2009 Stuff of Thought. The rating of this book would be off-the-chart if I judged it by Pinker’s knowledge of the subject matter, but as a book for a lay reader – it could try your patience. The main subj...more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Jun 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 04 05:29:02 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 21 16:16:48 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Apr 21 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 21 11:50:11 -0700 2008 Thu May 08 20:11:37 -0700 2008 The Blank Slate is one of my favorites, so I've got high hopes.
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Interesting, but I did...more...]]> 0 0 false false Tue Jul 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 12:43:55 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 07 10:01:04 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2000 Sun Dec 14 19:46:12 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 14 19:47:04 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2002 Sun Apr 08 21:39:26 -0700 2007 Wed Apr 18 09:16:51 -0700 2007
If nothing else, you will like the patterns in this book. Language is just so powerful, I have always been interested in it. It is somethin...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Mar 09 07:02:36 -0700 2008 Sun Mar 09 07:31:43 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 1997 Sat Sep 15 17:55:56 -0700 2007 Sat Sep 15 18:03:00 -0700 2007 5 0 false false Wed Apr 30 10:40:28 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 30 10:41:20 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Thu Jan 08 14:01:59 -0800 2009 Sat Apr 12 03:58:45 -0700 2008 Thu Jan 08 14:01:59 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Thu Mar 29 19:32:21 -0700 2007 Thu Mar 29 19:36:19 -0700 2007 3 0 false false Thu Dec 28 00:00:00 -0800 2000 Wed Mar 19 23:54:33 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 19 23:56:28 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Sat Nov 08 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Oct 20 13:12:47 -0700 2008 Sun Nov 09 06:46:08 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Thu Mar 06 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Feb 06 22:12:56 -0800 2008 Wed Feb 06 22:13:02 -0800 2008
Also, henceforth I will use the expression "three cheeses high".]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jul 19 11:53:52 -0700 2007 Thu Jul 19 11:53:52 -0700 2007 4 0 false false Mon May 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 03 10:45:03 -0800 2009 Mon May 04 23:07:31 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sat Jan 19 07:28:51 -0800 2008 Tue Sep 25 09:22:05 -0700 2007 Sat Dec 08 12:56:55 -0800 2007 5 0 false false Sun Feb 24 13:32:40 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 24 13:33:23 -0800 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=5753