Introducing Chomsky. A graphic guide PDF
Preview Introducing Chomsky. A graphic guide
Published by Icon Books Ltd, Omnibus Business Centre, 39–41 North Road, London N7 9DP Email: [email protected] www.introducingbooks.com ISBN: 978-1-84831-294-4 Text copyright © 2012 Icon Books Ltd Illustrations copyright © 2012 Icon Books Ltd The author and illustrator has asserted their moral rights Originating editor: Richard Appignanesi No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Contents Cover Title Page Copyright Introducing Chomsky Being and Language The Language Bell Language Use How Do We Know Language? The Diversity Diversion Getting to the Core of Language How Do We Explain Language? Language and Communication Two Common Uses of Language Structure Dependence The Knowledge of Language E-Language and I-Language Grammar or Politics? American Structuralism What About Saussure? Galileo’s Method Abstraction Idealization Ideal-Type Violating the Rose The Idealized Model Language as a Mental Organ Descartes’ Theory of Body A New Theory of Body Skinner’s Behaviourist Theory The Refutation of Behaviourism Plato’s Problem Language Is Not Learned, It Grows Innateness Growth and Constraints on Learning Language is Not Imitation What is Knowledge of Language? Non-Inductive Ability “Motherese” The Attack From the Social The Reply So What is Linguistics? Creative vs. Recursive The Tale of Two Grammars Traditional Grammar vs. Generative Grammar The Break with Structuralism I’m Okay, *You’re Okay But Not Deep Structure, Surface Structure Universal Grammar Can We “Map” a Universal Grammar? How Does it Sound? Empiricist Critics The Rule for Making Questions The Rule for Reciprocal Expression A Theory of Scientific Theories? Other Competing Models Chomsky’s Reply to Piaget Other Linguistic Schools 1980s Minimalism Principles and Parameters The UG Principles and Parameters Principles, Parameters and Language-Learning Limited Variation Objection Accounting for Language Dispensable Technology A Fairy Tale The Simplest Possible System? The Perfect Design The Origins of a Social Conscience A Chomsky File Chomsky the Social Critic “Is What You Say True?” The Tower of Babel Chomsky’s Libertarian Inheritance Adam Smith’s “Vile Maxim” Enlightenment Values Anarchism And Liberalism? Action Intellectuals The American Paradox The Manufacture of Consent Smash the Unions! Class and Poverty Who Do You Blame? The Fall of the Soviet Empire Who Should Apologize? Remembering Vietnam Overcoming the “Vietnam Syndrome” The Indonesia-East Timor File East Timor The Nicaragua File The Rotten Apple Theory Who’s the Criminal? Commissars and the Speciality Game Bibliography Acknowledgements About the authors Index Introducing Chomsky Noam Chomsky’s significance as a linguist and social reformer makes him one of the 20th century’s most challenging figures. YOU HAVE ARGUED THAT THE STRUCTURING PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN LANGUAGE ARE INNATE. THIS IS STILL A CONTROVERSIAL IDEA. It is. In my view, the human brain has an innate language faculty and part of this biological endowment is a system of principles common to all languages, which is the topic of the theory of “Universal Grammar”. There are two “Chomskys”. One has introduced new perspectives on language and human creativity; the other has rigorously criticized social injustice and state violence wherever these occur in the world. Both Chomskys can be seen as one violence wherever these occur in the world. Both Chomskys can be seen as one and the same heir to the Enlightenment tradition. Let’s begin with Chomsky the linguist. Being and Language Language is our humanity. Language is used to understand ourselves and others, to deal with the reality of our world and engage in acts of meaning. LANGUAGE SEEMS TO DO THE JOB FOR US. IT SEEMS JUST RIGHT. The task of linguistics is to provide deep account of human language.
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