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The Articulate Mammal: An Introduction to Psycholinguistics
This Routledge Classics edition includes a new foreword by the author. ‘An excellent and very welcome guide to psycholinguistics…highly recommended.’
The Washington Post A classic in its field for almost forty years, The Articulate Mammal is a brilliant introduction to psycholinguistics. In lucid prose Jean Aitchison introduces and demystifies a complex and controversial What is language and is it restricted to humans? How do children acquire language so quickly? Is language innate or learned? She explains the pioneering work of Noam Chomsky; how children become acclimatized to speech rhythms before birth; the acquisition of verbs; construction and cognitive grammar; and aphasia and dementia. She also considers new topics such as language and evolution and the possibility of a ‘language gene’, bringing the field right up to date. Jean Aitchison was Professor of Language and Communication at the University of Oxford from 1993 to 2003, and is now an Emeritus Professorial Fellow at Worcester College, Oxford. She is the author of numerous books on language and gave the 1996 BBC Reith lectures on the topic of ‘The Language Web’.
The Washington Post A classic in its field for almost forty years, The Articulate Mammal is a brilliant introduction to psycholinguistics. In lucid prose Jean Aitchison introduces and demystifies a complex and controversial What is language and is it restricted to humans? How do children acquire language so quickly? Is language innate or learned? She explains the pioneering work of Noam Chomsky; how children become acclimatized to speech rhythms before birth; the acquisition of verbs; construction and cognitive grammar; and aphasia and dementia. She also considers new topics such as language and evolution and the possibility of a ‘language gene’, bringing the field right up to date. Jean Aitchison was Professor of Language and Communication at the University of Oxford from 1993 to 2003, and is now an Emeritus Professorial Fellow at Worcester College, Oxford. She is the author of numerous books on language and gave the 1996 BBC Reith lectures on the topic of ‘The Language Web’.
316 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
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About the author
Jean Aitchison
46 books55 followersJean Aitchison is a Professor of Language and Communication in the Faculty of English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Worcester College, Oxford.
Her main areas of interest include:
Socio-historical linguistics
Language and mind
Language and the media
Her main areas of interest include:
Socio-historical linguistics
Language and mind
Language and the media
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 7, 2011
This is a really good introduction to psycholinguistics--language acquisition, speech production, comprehension. It provides a short guide to the evolution of Chomsky's theories as well as those that run alongside and counter to his theories. There is a substantial and useful "further reading" section at the back of the book and an equally useful list of sources. I bought the Kindle version because it was more in line with my bank account than the print book, and its index is conveniently linked to indexed topics as they appear throughout the book. To top it off, the information in the book is presented clearly and is easy to follow, easy to become engaged with.
March 28, 2024
Bardzo ciekawa, ale perspektywa trochę przestarzała w stosunku do współczesnej psycholingwistyki 🧠
July 14, 2019
this books is a great introduction to the psychology of language.
the age-old nurture versus nature controversy is outlined. Is language a skill which humans learn, such as knitting? Or is it natural phenomenon, such as walking or sexual activity? Skinner’s (1957) attempt to explain language as similar to the bar-pressing antics of rats was a dismal failure, as Chomsky showed. Chomsky proposed instead that the human species is preprogrammed
for language.
human language and animal communication are compared. Some features of human language were found to be shared with some animal communication systems, but no animal system possessed them all. Attempts to teach sign and symbol systems to non-human apes are described: after a lot of
effort, these apes could cope with some of the rudimentary characteristics of human language, but their achievements were far inferior to those of human children. Above all, intention reading and pattern finding seemed to be beyond the ability range of non-humans.
the hard biological evidence was discussed: the human brain, teeth, tongue and vocal cords have been adapted to the needs of speech. In addition, talking requires the synchronization of so many different operations, humans seem to be ‘set’ to cope with this task.
children’s early speech is looked at. Their output is not just a random amalgam of badly copied adult utterances. Instead, they are instinctively aware that language is ‘rule-governed’, in that it follows consistent patterns. However, in the early stages, the rules are not necessarily linguistic ones: children might just be applying their general intelligence.
three different views on child language were considered. First, Chomsky’s proposal that children contain specific linguistic information which requires minimal exposure to activate was not borne out by the evidence. Second, the claim that children solve the puzzle of language by using their
general intelligence, aided by helpful parents and a desire to satisfy their everyday needs, was not supported either: several individuals had been found who displayed a huge discrepancy between their linguistic and general cognitive abilities. Third, the suggestion that children make use of an inbuilt linguistic puzzle-solving device seemed nearest the truth, though the interaction between
inherited principles, caretaker input, and changing mental organization is still unclear.
Language cannot be explained simply as an offshoot of general intelligence, even though humans obviously use general cognitive abilities when they speak. Equally, infants do not have fixed chunks of pre-information about language. Instead, they are naturally geared to processing linguistic data. At each stage, children can handle only a certain amount: their mind is a natural filter, like a fishing net with a particular size mesh, which catches some fish, but lets others slip away. A child’s mind therefore never gets overloaded. Once a certain amount of language is in place, this forms the basis for another trawl with another net, probably one with a slightly different-sized mesh. And so
on and so on. Children move forward partly because each stage reached forms the basis for tackling the next. This general process is known as epigenesis. Psychologists and linguists need to combine in order to tease out the details of the epigenetic sequence associated with language.
the age-old nurture versus nature controversy is outlined. Is language a skill which humans learn, such as knitting? Or is it natural phenomenon, such as walking or sexual activity? Skinner’s (1957) attempt to explain language as similar to the bar-pressing antics of rats was a dismal failure, as Chomsky showed. Chomsky proposed instead that the human species is preprogrammed
for language.
human language and animal communication are compared. Some features of human language were found to be shared with some animal communication systems, but no animal system possessed them all. Attempts to teach sign and symbol systems to non-human apes are described: after a lot of
effort, these apes could cope with some of the rudimentary characteristics of human language, but their achievements were far inferior to those of human children. Above all, intention reading and pattern finding seemed to be beyond the ability range of non-humans.
the hard biological evidence was discussed: the human brain, teeth, tongue and vocal cords have been adapted to the needs of speech. In addition, talking requires the synchronization of so many different operations, humans seem to be ‘set’ to cope with this task.
children’s early speech is looked at. Their output is not just a random amalgam of badly copied adult utterances. Instead, they are instinctively aware that language is ‘rule-governed’, in that it follows consistent patterns. However, in the early stages, the rules are not necessarily linguistic ones: children might just be applying their general intelligence.
three different views on child language were considered. First, Chomsky’s proposal that children contain specific linguistic information which requires minimal exposure to activate was not borne out by the evidence. Second, the claim that children solve the puzzle of language by using their
general intelligence, aided by helpful parents and a desire to satisfy their everyday needs, was not supported either: several individuals had been found who displayed a huge discrepancy between their linguistic and general cognitive abilities. Third, the suggestion that children make use of an inbuilt linguistic puzzle-solving device seemed nearest the truth, though the interaction between
inherited principles, caretaker input, and changing mental organization is still unclear.
Language cannot be explained simply as an offshoot of general intelligence, even though humans obviously use general cognitive abilities when they speak. Equally, infants do not have fixed chunks of pre-information about language. Instead, they are naturally geared to processing linguistic data. At each stage, children can handle only a certain amount: their mind is a natural filter, like a fishing net with a particular size mesh, which catches some fish, but lets others slip away. A child’s mind therefore never gets overloaded. Once a certain amount of language is in place, this forms the basis for another trawl with another net, probably one with a slightly different-sized mesh. And so
on and so on. Children move forward partly because each stage reached forms the basis for tackling the next. This general process is known as epigenesis. Psychologists and linguists need to combine in order to tease out the details of the epigenetic sequence associated with language.
October 29, 2021
I read this book a long time ago and have flitted through it often over the years. Was my second time reading it cover to cover, and I'm still as impressed as I was all those years ago. As the introduction says, it's a book for anyone who is interested in why we talk, how we acquire language, what happens when we process and comprehend sentences, and the structures that underlie a human's ability to speak and understand language. The book is information-packed with lots of extra reading references. But it is not tedious, it's like listening to a lecture, you know! I love the conversational tone and the examples and thought experiments. Suppose the King of Jupiter wanted to learn English, how would we teach him? Or how does one devise a pattern for slips of tongue? The book doesn't delve into the research on the connections between thought/concepts and language - that's one area that I love that I wish had been allotted at least some space. And I guess the other issue with the book is that it is not a light read, which can be a turn off for some - at times too detailed, it is not a quick read either.
October 12, 2019
More in depth than what I had expected, which makes it even more fascinating. Starting with defining and describing grammar, the author goes on to discuss what language in animals can teach us, heading then straight into how children acquire speech, and, finally, rounding it all up with a journey into neurosciences. 'Talking' animals, children's language development, brain science... It all revolves around Chomsky's ideas (displaying not only his, but some of his detractors as well) in a very articulate and engaging way. Here's an excellent introduction to psycholinguistics.
January 28, 2014
I purchased this on my kindle, so I didn't realise it was a textbook at the time! It felt like reading a popular science novel. I put down the book feeling enriched and pretty chuffed with myself for reading textbook.
April 21, 2023
Concisely written, this introduction makes salient the most interesting parts of the topic, with language suitable for those unfamiliar. The author is aware of the shortcomings of existing research and knowledge, and makes a point to address this throughout. Introducing the complex and separate issue of speech production in the penultimate chapter was a mistake, muddying the waters of an otherwise-focused treatise on psycholinguists as the bastard-son of each older discipline.
February 2, 2014
I read this years ago as a text for my Linguistics major at university. It was fascinating and by far my favourite area of the subject. I have often kept track of it and really wanted to fork out for my own up to date copy. Now that it has been significantly revised I've gone and purchased the latest version to check it out. I can't wait to read it again! It is so accessible and doesn't feel like a text at all. If you are at all into language then you will enjoy this. A great read.
April 12, 2015
A must read for every psychology enthusiast. This is designed as an introductory exercise into psycholinguistics, deals more with language, parenting & scientific thinking. Obviously it isn't a swift read but would leave you an insightful person. So much for dinner-table conversations!!!
July 19, 2008
Fascinating textbook on speech understanding and development. I would recommend this to people interested in having children, as it provides excellent insight into mental development in babies.
January 8, 2011
A very brilliant introduction to psycholinguistics. It doesn't make me confused. It makes me even more curious.
December 19, 2024
Terminé de leer este trabajo por la Profesora Jean Margaret Aitchison (Inglaterra, 1938), en el que presenta una introducción a la psicolingüística enfocándose en tres áreas principales: cómo se adquiere el lenguaje, cómo se relacionan el conocimiento lingüístico con el uso del lenguaje, y cómo ocurren tanto la comprensión como la producción del habla.
Al tratarse de un texto introductorio, se proporciona una explicación amigable de la mayoría de los conceptos necesarios para comprenderlo, y posteriormente se realiza una revisión histórica sobre las investigaciones y teorías que han surgido en las áreas de interés anteriormente mencionadas. Sobre todo, en la primera parte, la autora se enfoca en los trabajos de Noam Chomsky, quien ha cambiado de postura con respecto de las propuestas, hechas por él, desde la década de los sesenta. También se tratan las contribuciones post-Chomskianas, con una especial mención sobre la labor de Michael Tomasello, como alternativas más viables para guiar el trabajo de investigación en este campo que, la autora considera, se encuentra en expansión.
La redacción es muy grata y amigable, y el tratamiento de los temas se hace de forma que no sea necesario recurrir a material adicional con la finalidad de comprender el contenido. La excepción a lo anterior, claro está, se da si el objetivo consiste en profundizar sobre algún aspecto particular de los tópicos expuestos.
Al tratarse de un texto introductorio, se proporciona una explicación amigable de la mayoría de los conceptos necesarios para comprenderlo, y posteriormente se realiza una revisión histórica sobre las investigaciones y teorías que han surgido en las áreas de interés anteriormente mencionadas. Sobre todo, en la primera parte, la autora se enfoca en los trabajos de Noam Chomsky, quien ha cambiado de postura con respecto de las propuestas, hechas por él, desde la década de los sesenta. También se tratan las contribuciones post-Chomskianas, con una especial mención sobre la labor de Michael Tomasello, como alternativas más viables para guiar el trabajo de investigación en este campo que, la autora considera, se encuentra en expansión.
La redacción es muy grata y amigable, y el tratamiento de los temas se hace de forma que no sea necesario recurrir a material adicional con la finalidad de comprender el contenido. La excepción a lo anterior, claro está, se da si el objetivo consiste en profundizar sobre algún aspecto particular de los tópicos expuestos.
October 30, 2019
Interesting book on Psycholinguistics and a classic book as well in this field, but some of the concepts therein are old or have been greatly elaborated. For example, the 'fact' that raising bilingual children results in them being able to fluently use both languages equally, has now been proven wrong; the children may understand both languages, but they can speak only one of them, i.e. the majority one. (see 'Language policy in the family', by Stephen J. Caldas. In Bernard Spolsy (2012, Ed.) The Cambridge Handbook of Language Policy, Cambridge University Press).
November 21, 2022
If you’re interested in languages, psycholinguistics or just simply linguistics, this is a great introductory book.
It covers a variety of subjects and includes loads of examples to make it more understood.
I have to admit I did skim through many of the examples because I was more interested in the main summary of each chapter.
It covers a variety of subjects and includes loads of examples to make it more understood.
I have to admit I did skim through many of the examples because I was more interested in the main summary of each chapter.
June 28, 2024
I only read a few pages, but I will not read until later. Therefore, I consider that I read it for now. It's amazing. It's one of the books that I am seriously looking forward to read when I study psycholinguistics in the future.
May 12, 2020
very good
May 31, 2020
This book is a really good and brief introduction to psycholinguistics. In other words, it highlights the common links between psychology and linguistics.
January 3, 2025
Brilliant book to get into the subject, written very engagingly too.
February 24, 2025
In general it is an easy read but the title is misleading.
It only has one paragraph that says why animals don't talk.
It only has one paragraph that says why animals don't talk.
May 10, 2016
Interesting subject. Let down by dull style.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews