The Language Organ treats human language as the manifestation of a faculty of the mind, a mental organ whose nature is determined by human biology and whose functional properties should be explored just as physiology explores the functional properties of physical organs. It surveys the nature of the language faculty in its various aspects: the systems of sounds, words, and syntax, the development of language in the child and historically, and what is known about its relation to the brain. It discusses the kinds of work that can be carried out in these areas that will contribute to an understanding of the human language organ. This book will appeal to students and researchers in linguistics, and is written to be accessible to colleagues in other disciplines dealing with language as well as to readers with an interest in general science and the nature of the human mind.

This book discusses the biological basis for a person's use of language.

About the Author
Stephen R. Anderson is Professor of Linguistics and Cognitive Science at Yale University. He is the author of The Organization of Phonology (1974), Phonology in the Twentieth Century (1985), and A-Morphous Morphology (Cambridge, 1992). David W. Lightfoot is Dean of the Graduate School, Georgetown University. He is the author of eight books, including The Development of Language (1999).

Reviews
'A superb overview of the logic of language and its basis in the human mind.' Steven Pinker, MIT and author of The Language Instinct and Words and Rules



Book Information
ISBN 9780521809948
Author Stephen R. Anderson
Format Hardback
Page Count 284
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 590g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 19mm