Constructing a Language
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Tomasello offers an extended and detailed exposition of his 'usage-based' theory of language acquisition, which he contrasts to nativist or 'universal grammar' theories such as those of Noam Chomsky and of Steven Pinker...Throughout this masterfully written but stylistically and intellectually dense book, Tomasello reports extensively on current research and looks critically at the assumptions and assertions of his contemporaries. -- L. Bebout Choice 20031101
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Drawing together a vast body of empirical research in cognitive science, linguistics, and developmental psychology, Michael Tomasello demonstrates that we don't need a self-contained "language instinct" to explain how children learn language. Their linguistic ability is interwoven with other cognitive abilities. Tomasello argues that the essence of language is its symbolic dimension, which rests on the uniquely human ability to comprehend intention. Grammar emerges as the speakers of a language create linguistic constructions out of recurring sequences of symbols, children pick up these patterns in the buzz of words they hear around them. Constructing a Language offers a compellingly argued, psychologically sound new vision for the study of language acquisition.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
A "must-read" for child language researchers
7 Dec 2008
Format:Paperback
This is a compelling account of how, and why, children acquire language the way they do. The book argues strenuously against the nativist proposals of Noam Chomsky and Steven Pinker, in particular the notion of Universal Grammar. Tomasello offers an alternative account based on an eclectic mix of "usage-based" approaches to language, including Construction Grammar and various strains of cognitive and functional linguistics.
Tomasello's ideas deserve to be taken very seriously within linguistics. His background in experimental psychology and his research experience with chimpanzees inform his ideas on language acquisition and keep them grounded in psychological and biological reality. On the other hand, his nemesis Steven Pinker is very compelling in his own right (and the best writer in the field). I have to admit I can't decide who's right, Pinker or Tomasello, but I relish their battle of ideas.
Tomasello's ideas deserve to be taken very seriously within linguistics. His background in experimental psychology and his research experience with chimpanzees inform his ideas on language acquisition and keep them grounded in psychological and biological reality. On the other hand, his nemesis Steven Pinker is very compelling in his own right (and the best writer in the field). I have to admit I can't decide who's right, Pinker or Tomasello, but I relish their battle of ideas.
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