Words and Rules: The Ingredients Of Language

404 Pages·2015·12.11 MB·English

by  Steven Pinker

Praise for Words and Rules
“Not only does Pinker breathe life into the topic, he makes the reading
breathtakingly exciting.” —The Montreal Gazette
“Pinker’s argument is appealing, and Words and Rules brims with delightful
data. Word-lovers may find themselves skimming the book for clever bits.”
—Discover
“Gripping throughout. . . . A fascinating survey.” —Independent on Sunday
“Pinker demonstrates [his argument] with clarity, wit, and even the occasional
belly laugh. . . . A finely balanced, easily accessible book that takes readers
through a strongly supported argument to the frontiers of science for a glimpse
into the mysteries inside us, and how they reflect our semi-regular world.”
—Philadelphia City Paper
“A fascinating voyage of discovery.” —Sunday Telegraph
“With its crisp prose and neat analogies, [Words and Rules is] required reading
for anyone interested in cognition and language.” —Publisher’s Weekly (starred
review)
“Pinker succeeds in generating light rather than heat in a dispute that has been
noted for acrimony rather than insight. This is no mean achievement, but, as a
bonus, he extends the argument to cover the nature of the mind more generally. .
. . It seems initially implausible that meditating on the past tense of ‘sing’ could
enable one to derive generalizations about how our mental categories ‘reflect the
lawful categories of the world,’ but Pinker has done it. Hats off.” —Times
Literary Supplement
“Words and Rules is a demanding, full-length book about irregular verbs. Yet
this description gives little sense of its flavor and excitement. . . . Written with
characteristic energy and enthusiasm, it sweeps across some pretty dry terrain
but remains gripping throughout. . . . A fascinating survey of many key areas of
linguistics.” —Independent
“Pinker’s impressive case for a hybrid theory is sure to advance debate and
acquaint lay readers with his subject matter. Fans of his other popular books will
find many of the same virtues in this one. Pinker has a keen sense of humor,
guaranteed to elicit more chuckles than groans, and an admirable ability to make
difficult material accessible and engaging. Pinker has a marvelous ability to
make each mundane idiosyncrasy of speech into a riveting detective story.”
—Chicago Tribune
“Perhaps the chief pleasures of this book do not lie in his overall theories of
language, as much as in his delightful sense of humor and his individual
explanations of how the language works—and why. This book will be of interest
to anyone fascinated by language.” —Christian Science Monitor
“[Discussions] are offered not in dry academic prose, but through lucidly written
and often amusing examples.” —Boston Globe
“Despite the sometimes technical nature of the discussion . . . the book is
compulsively readable. Pinker writes clearly and enthusiastically, enlivening his
prose with scintillating wordplay, helpful analogies and the occasional ‘Far Side’
cartoon. . . . Simultaneously amusing and enlightening, Words and Rules
demonstrates that Pinker amply deserves his reputation as the best popularizer of
linguistics writing today.” —New York City Search
“This is complicated stuff, but Pinker is a fine popularizer. Perhaps he uses dry
academic prose for his research, but here he uses lucid and amusing examples. . .
. He shows how complicated these linguistic ideas are without stupefying the
layman.” —The Times Arcadia (Columbus, MI)
“A brilliantly illuminating, entertaining and cutting-edge account of how
language actually works by one of the world’s leading cognitive scientists.”
—Books Magazine
“[Pinker] explains technical matters in day-to-day language. . . . He does not
oversimplify the issues, and his summarizing of academic articles is exemplary. .
. . [Readers will] have a good idea of how a thorough researcher approaches a
task. Like a hungry dog, Pinker chews just about every possible piece of meat
off this academic bone, and licks it clean.” —Literary Review
“A deliciously erudite, if somewhat grainy, glass of Metamucil for the legion of
English speakers troubled by irregular verbs.” —New York Times Magazine

OTHER BOOKS BY STEVEN PINKER
Language Learnability and Language Development
Learnability and Cognition
The Language Instinct
How the Mind Works
The Blank Slate
The Stuff of Thought
The Better Angels of Our Nature
The Sense of Style

Drawing of wugs by Jean Berko Gleason reprinted with the artist’s permission.
THE FAR SIDE © 1987 FARWORKS, INC. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“False Plural (7, 6)” by Trazom, reprinted with the permission of the National Puzzler’s League.
“Irregular Verbs: Think, Thank, Thunk” drawing © by Suzy Becker, reprinted with the artist’s permission.
ARLO & JANIS reprinted by permission of Newspaper Enterprise Association, Inc.
ZITS reprinted with special permission of King Features Syndicate.
FUNKY WINKERBEAN reprinted with special permission of North America Syndicate.
CALVIN AND HOBBES © 1993 Watterson. Reprinted with permission of UNIVERSAL PRESS
SYNDICATE. All rights reserved.
“The Jellyfish” reprinted with permission of Susan Kinsolving.
FAMILY CIRCUS reprinted with special permission of King Features Syndicate.
FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE reprinted by permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
ROBOTMAN reprinted by permission of Newspaper Enterprise Association, Inc.
Cartoon by Jeff Kaufman originally published in The New Yorker, reprinted with permission of The Cartoon
Bank.
BLOOM COUNTY reprinted by permission of Berkeley Breathed.
Copyright © 1999 by Steven Pinker.
Hardcover first published in 1999 by Basic Books, A Member of the Perseus Books Group Paperback
published in 2015 by Basic Books All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of
this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of
brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, address Basic Books, 250 West
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Books published by Basic Books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the United States
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or call (800) 810–4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail [email protected].
The Library of Congress has cataloged the 1999 hardcover as follows: Pinker, Steven, 1954– Words and
rules : the ingredients of language / Steven Pinker.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Language and languages. 2. Grammar, Comparative and general—Verb. I. Title.
P106.P477 1999
41521—dc21 99-043013
ISBN 978-0-465-04971-4 (e-book)
HarperCollins First Perennial paperback edition published in 2000; First Harper Perennial edition published
in 2011.
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TO THE PSYMORGS