The Language Instinct, by Stephen Pinker, is not what you might
call an easy read, but it certainly rewards the effort. It’s tough going
because the subject matter is so complex and intricate, but to make such
a dense piece of science so (relatively) accessible is quite an
achievement.
Basically, Pinker proposes a revolutionary theory that language is an
instinct, shared equally by all human beings, and that’s why it will
arise even in pretty adverse conditions: deaf and dumb people deprived
of training in sign language will spontaneously develop their own;
children understand advanced grammatical concepts without being taught
them; remote tribes develop languages sometimes far more complex than
the languages of more ’sophisticated’ societies. As he pursues his
theory, Pinker manages to produce a pretty painless introduction to
general linguistic theory, as well as making the reader think harder
than they have probably ever thought before about this strange thing we
do with our mouths and ears.
In addition, I’m grateful to this book for finally putting paid to that
silly story that the Eskimos have 117 different words for snow. Now I
know they don’t, and I can tell people so at parties without worrying
about whether they happen to speak Inuit or not.
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