The Stuff of Thought.

Product Description <br/>The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature By Steven Pinker<br/> From Publishers Weekly <br/>Unless you have a reasonably good background in linguistics, you'll find this excellent book much easier to read than to listen to. Olsher is not to blame; he reads clearly and at a (slightly rapid) conversational speed. Pinker aims for the educated lay reader, using wit and popular metaphor to clarify his meanings and bring abstruse linguistic concepts to life. But his sentences are dense; you need to reread them and think them through. And the jargon, though clearly defined, requires time and thought to absorb: Though hypernyms are not really examples of polysemy the way metonyms are, their use in emotionally tinged speech is another illustration of how choice among words can make a psychological difference. Such sentences are followed by clarifying illustrations, but they require cogitation—work that is well rewarded by a deeper and more complex understanding of language as a window into the mind. The chapter on the semantics of swearing is particularly fun and enlightening. In every culture swear words concern gods, diseases, excretions and sex, and Pinker tells us why. A person with some knowledge of linguistic theory will enjoy this audio enormously; a person without it will be enriched and delighted by the book, but have great difficulties with the audio version.<br/>Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.<br/> About the Author <br/>Steven Pinker is the Johnstone Family professor of Psychology and Harvard College Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. A two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and the winner of many awards for his research, teaching, and books, he has been named one of<br/>Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World Today and<br/>Foreign Policy's 100 Global Thinkers. His other books include<br/>The Better Angels of our Nature and<br/>The Blank Slate.<br/> Review <br/>"Engaging and provocative...filled with humor and fun."<br/>-Douglas Hofstadter,<br/> Los Angeles Times<br/><br/>"Pinker is a star, and the world of science is lucky to have him."<br/>--Richard Dawkins<br/><br/>"Curious, inventive, fearless, naughty."<br/>-<br/>New York Times Book Review<br/><br/>"An important and inviting book."<br/>--<br/>Science<br/><br/>"There's plenty of stuff to think about, but a lot of fun stuff too."<br/>-<br/>Boston Globe<br/><br/>"Fascinating."<br/><br/>Wired<br/><br/>"Unfailingly engaging to read."<br/>--<br/>New York Review of Books<br/> From Bookmarks Magazine <br/>By examining our words, we can learn a lot about who we are. So argues Harvard academic and popular science writer Steven Pinker in<br/>The Stuff of Thought, a logical extension of his previous books. Pinker once again caters to a popular (though scientifically literate) audience, using accessible examples from jokes, Shakespeare, pop songs, and films to understand the science. One fascinating chapter explores the value of metaphors; another covers swearing (did you know that "gee whiz" is derived from "Jesus"?). A few critics tired of the myriad examples and pointed out a lack of unifying threads; others wanted more concrete answers; a couple challenged Pinker’s entire thesis that language is an accurate guide to our mind. According to them, it is as if Pinker was determined to combine his broad-based, popular science acumen with his in-depth linguistics expertiseâ€""the perfect storm" of his work. But if this book is not food for thought, then no other book of its kind is.<br/>Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.<br/> From Booklist <br/>Experimental psychologist and cognitive scientist Pinker is fascinated by the symbiosis between language and thought. In this stimulating volume, a continuation of the discussion found in The Language Instinct (1994), he argues for the "real-world importance" of "the relation of language to our inner and outer worlds." Anchoring his discussion of why semantics matter to 9/11 and other momentous public events, Pinker teases apart