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steveatwaywords's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.5
First, there is an audio book version of this title, which I do not recommend, not because it isn't well done, but because Chomsky's argument and language are not as approachable without the written text in front of you. I went back to get that text after trying the audio alone!
Second, if you don't have a background in linguistics (even a basic one), you will likely find this incredibly dense, even off-putting. Chomsky presumes from his use of acronyms, jargon, and precise style that we all are already somewhat familiar with the basics of language theory and cognitive research. These essays--together fairly brief as a book--are nonetheless demanding of close attention.
After settling in, however, we are in for a treat of his insights, delivered with the confidence of research and great reflection, to link speech to cognition, cognition to mind, and mind to body. For many reasons, our human ability to articulate what we know is limited both by what our bodies are capable of sensing (even through metaphor) and what the words we have formed from those physical brains are limited to. The consequences of such a delineated theory are multiple, both in terms of how we understand historical debates (from Plato to Piaget) and how we understand our society's construction.
All of these are the subjects of Chomsky's brief but encompassing examination. Over and over I said aloud to the text, "Wait, slow down. Let me turn that over for three years." Sadly, it's possible that some readers of this text see its brevity as equivalent to the time it takes to consider it. But no worries: Chomsky wrote quite a bit more that expands on it!
This was my first book-length read of Chomsky (only previously having read essays and read interviews). Yes, he is worth more time. And yes, as humbling as his ideas are to my notion of imagination, I will make more.
Second, if you don't have a background in linguistics (even a basic one), you will likely find this incredibly dense, even off-putting. Chomsky presumes from his use of acronyms, jargon, and precise style that we all are already somewhat familiar with the basics of language theory and cognitive research. These essays--together fairly brief as a book--are nonetheless demanding of close attention.
After settling in, however, we are in for a treat of his insights, delivered with the confidence of research and great reflection, to link speech to cognition, cognition to mind, and mind to body. For many reasons, our human ability to articulate what we know is limited both by what our bodies are capable of sensing (even through metaphor) and what the words we have formed from those physical brains are limited to. The consequences of such a delineated theory are multiple, both in terms of how we understand historical debates (from Plato to Piaget) and how we understand our society's construction.
All of these are the subjects of Chomsky's brief but encompassing examination. Over and over I said aloud to the text, "Wait, slow down. Let me turn that over for three years." Sadly, it's possible that some readers of this text see its brevity as equivalent to the time it takes to consider it. But no worries: Chomsky wrote quite a bit more that expands on it!
This was my first book-length read of Chomsky (only previously having read essays and read interviews). Yes, he is worth more time. And yes, as humbling as his ideas are to my notion of imagination, I will make more.
falsemoon's review against another edition
3.0
i understood maybe 10% of this [i report, self-congratulatory], but i’m still pretty sure the answer to the titular question is: idk
noel_rene_cisneros's review against another edition
Ensayos sobre el lenguaje, aquello que según Chomsky, nos hace humanos (respaldándose en algunos estudios contemporáneos de neurociencia y lingüística), así como del pensamiento de Chomsky, de su postura política y su defensa del anarcosindicalismo como una posibilidad.
jeffbrimhall's review against another edition
Audio Book: Mostly about language and how it relates to who we are. Pretty deep for an audio book to keep up with. Did not do a lot for me.