Foundations of Language

How does human language work? How do we put ideas into words that others can understand? Can linguistics shed light on the way the brain operates? Foundations of Language puts linguistics back at the centre of the search to understand human consciousness. Ray Jackendoff begins by surveying the developments in linguistics over the years since Noam Chomsky's Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. He goes on to propose a radicalre-conception of how the brain processes language. This opens up vivid new perspectives on every major aspect of language and communication, including grammar, vocabulary, learning, the origins of human language, and howlanguage relates to the real world. Foundations of Language makes important connections with other disciplines which have been isolated from linguistics for many years. It sets a new agenda for close cooperation between the study of language, mind, the brain, behaviour, and evolution.

“"The intellectual journey of one of the most original and creative thinkers in modern linguistics."--John R. Taylor,Studies in Language "It's a rich mix, but one laid out in refreshingly plain language.... Provides challenging ideas and a fruitful combination of observation and analysis.... My advice is to read the book for the exceptional effort at synthesis that it is."--Merrill Garrett,Science "A sweeping survey of every major aspect of language and communication. ... He counters the belief that language stems from syntactic structure alone."--Science News "Jackendoff is certainly right in thinking that the question of why language has come to be as it is is one that linguists cannot permanently ignore... His breadth of knowledge and soundness of judgment, along with just the right amount of adventurousness, make for a book that deserves to be read and reread by anyone seriously interested in the state of the art of research on language."--American Scientist "Few books really deserve the cliche 'this should be read by every researcher in the field,' but Ray Jackendoff'sFoundations of Languagedoes. I think it is the most important book in the sciences of language to have appeared in many years. Jackendoff has long had a genius for seeing both he forest and the trees, and he puts his gift to good use here in a dazzling combination of theory-building and factual integration. The result is a compelling new view of language and its place in the natural world."--Steven Pinker, Professor of Psychology, MIT, and author ofThe Language InstinctandWordsand Rules "A masterpiece.... The book as a whole deserves a wide readership."--Nature”

Review from previous edition A masterpiece. The book deserves a wide readership'John C. Marshall, NatureAn excellent overview of the complexities of language'New ScientistHis breadth of knowlede and soundness of judgment, along with just the right amount of adventurousness, make for a book that deserves to be read and reread by anyone seriously interested in the state of the art of research on language.'Andrew Carstairs-McCarthy, American Scientist, July-August 2002Few books really deserve the cliché "this should be read by every researcher in the field," but Ray Jackendoff's Foundations of Language does. I think it is the most important book in the sciences of language to have appeared in many years. Jackendoff has long had a genius for seeing both the forest and the trees, and he puts his gift to good use here in a dazzling combination of theory-building and factual integration. The result is a compellingnew view of language and its place in the natural world.'Steven Pinker, Professor of Psychology, MIT and author of The Language of Instinct and Words and RulesJackendoff tackles the substantial tasks of assessing where Noam Chomsky's foundation of research has led linguistics and reinterpreting his theory of universal grammar. While embracing many of Chomsky's ideas, Jackendoff proposes his own overall theory of language ... a significant piece of scholarship and is highly recommended for academic libraries.'Library Journal (USA)Jackendoff's work is a sweeping survey of every major aspect of language and communication ... He counters the belief that language stems from syntactic structure alone'Science News (USA) March 2002Jackendoff drastically rehauls linguistic theory, thus providing for its natural re-integration with psycholinguistics and the other sister sciences. Foundations of Language is a monumental scholarly achievement, which should be obligatory reading for any psycholinguist.'Willem J. M. Levelt, Max Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsRay Jackendoff, one of the most influential researchers in cognitive science today, offers a clear and engaging analysis of many of the raging controversies in the language sciences. The book offers a point of entry into these issues for neuroscientists, psycholinguists, and philosophers of language as well as linguists from various generative and cognitive backgrounds. You may not agree with everything he says, but you are bound to appreciate theclarity, precision, depth of analysis, breadth of knowledge and impressive range of data he brings to the debate.'Adele Goldberg, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois`Ray Jackendoff's Foundations of Language is a masterpiece. . . . The book deserves to be the reference point for all future theorizing about the language faculty and its interconnections.'Frederick J. Newmeyer, University of Washington; President of the Linguistic Society of America

Ray Jackendoff is the author of Semantics and Cognition, Consciousness and the Computational Mind, The Architecture of the Language Faculty, and (with Fred Lerdahl) A Generative Theory of Tonal Music. He has been Professor of Linguistics at Brandeis University since 1971. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a past president of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology.

How does human language work? How do we put ideas into words that others can understand? Can linguistics shed light on the way the brain operates? Foundations of Language puts linguistics back at the centre of the search to understand human consciousness. Ray Jackendoff begins by surveying the developments in linguistics over the years since Noam Chomsky's Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. He goes on to propose a radical re-conception of how the brain processes language. This opens up vivid new perspectives on every major aspect of language and communication, including grammar, vocabulary, learning, the origins of human language, and how language relates to the real world. Foundations of Language makes important connections with other disciplines which have been isolated from linguistics for many years. It sets a new agenda for close cooperation between the study of language, mind, the brain, behaviour, and evolution.

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