He actually DID write something about Palin and I had read it but forgot. Yes, this happens quite often to me; don’t laugh. His column, “Everything You Heard Is Wrong,” was published in The New York Times on Oct. 3. He says that “it would be unfair … to use [her accent] as a measure of her intellect or sophistication” and I have to disagree with this because that’s always been a tool in judging others. Another thing I disagree with is that “’nucular’ is not a sign of ignorance.” Now, I know linguistics is descriptive (read “nonjudgmental”), but until a change in language becomes sanctioned at least by the majority of more educated speakers — since dictionaries wait to see what’s happening before including it — that change actually is considered a sign of ignorance. This is just a layperson’s observation of everyday use of language. Pinker explains that the “reversal of vowel-like consonants (nuk-l’-yer —> nuk-y’-ler) is common in the world’s languages, and is no more illiterate than pronouncing ‘iron’ the way most Americans do, as ‘eye-yern’ instead of ‘eye-ren,'” but in my ears it’s ignorance, I’m sorry. I do agree with this, though: “voters judging Ms. Palin’s performance should focus on the facile governing philosophy that is symbolized by her speech style.” But, since it’s usually ignorant people that have such simplistic views, that proves I was right 🙂
But enough of Palin and back to Pinker, about whom I’ve meant to write for some time now. For all English majors out there trying to make sense of Chomsky’s theories, Pinker is what you want to read. I’ve never thought linguistics could be so entertaining and fascinating at the same time. Pinker writes with unmatched gusto about complicated theories, in an irresistible blend of linguistics and psychology. His main interest is to explore how we acquire language, what is innate and what is not, how the mind works (also the title of one of his books). You can read more about him on Wikipedia, or, even better, his page at Harvard.
I’ve started The Language Instinct and couldn’t believe that not only I finally understood all those things that didn’t make much sense when I was in college, but I was thoroughly entertained. I’ve got sidetracked and haven’t finished it, but I’ve recently picked up Words and Rules and I read it with a pen in hand, ready to underline the interesting parts; the first half is almost black. I swear, you’ve never imagined how captivating English irregular verbs could be. He traces them back to their Old English roots (which used to be a mess), digs them up, and holds their twisted shapes before your bedazzled eyes, while your mind gets high on his infectious enthusiasm, brilliant writing, and sheer fun.
Speaking of fun, you can watch Pinker on The Colbert Report here:
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/81914/february-07-2007/steven-pinker.
The Arrow 