The intelligent, well-informed reader who knows of Chomsky, but not all about Chomsky, would be well-advised to begin this Where-I-Stand treatise with the last chapter—a reasonably accessible presentation of Chomsky's definitions of linguistics and language; of "competence," grammatical and pragmatic. The chapter begins with homage to Eric Lenneberg, and does much to put in perspective Chomsky's quarrels with contemporary schools of linguistics and psychology (not just Skinner, but also Piaget), encapsulating what the preliminary chapters do ad nauseum: attack opponents with scholarly put-downs. Essentially, Chomsky defends his notion that the rules governing linguistic expression are universal and innate, part of the genotype which grows and matures to a steady state, all the while shaped by culture and circumstance. No reason for such a stance to be rejected as "purely hypothetical," he says; no reason for the dichotomy in the human sciences between empirically verifiable "psychological reality" (like reaction time) and abstract hypotheses (like universal unconscious grammatical principles). Physics, he says, never suffered such a dichotomy; and he is right. That said, Chomsky argues that his ideas are eminently testable and chides his critics as dogmatists. Much of this is hard going, assuming a competence at sentence-analysis in Chomsky's mathematico-logical style, not to mention familiarity with less well-known challengers. Chomsky's attack on empiricism and the "poverty of the stimulus" argument seem well-taken, but he is open to question on a number of fronts, including the inaccessibility of the unconscious and the uselessness of introspection. Still, this controversial scholar may have the edge over his detractors: he can point to a complex innate structure for the visual system and maintain, congruently, that the methods of natural science are the ultimate criteria by which rival linguistic schools will stand or fall. Difficult but not unrewarding.
Pub Date: April 1, 1980
ISBN: 0231132700
Page Count: 360
Publisher: Columbia Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1980
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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