This hypothesis states that language has an effect on your worldview as well, and it has stemmed some self-help movements such as NLP. Such as, say, the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis, which you probably know from the movie “ Arrival.” Not only by summarizing other people’s achievements – Noam Chomsky and Derek Bickerton in particular – for the general public, but also by introducing few original and still controversial ideas.Īnd Pinker decides that the best way to start is by refuting some of the more prevailing theories. Well, in “The Language Instinct,” Steven Pinker tries to fill this void. However, none of them tried – let alone succeeded – to explain how human language came to be.Įven though the development of language is rightfully considered “ one of the most significant points in human history.” We’ve already featured some of the books which have attempted – and sometimes successfully managed – to answer life’s and universes’ most difficult questions. He has written such classics as “ The Stuff of Thought,” “The Blank Slate,” “Words and Rules,” and “How the Mind Works.” “The Language Instinct Summary” A psychology professor at Harvard, he is revered among the general population for his ability to convey complex ideas in simple language. Steven Pinker is a Canadian cognitive psychologist and linguist.

Consequently, it’s also one of the ultimate classics in the field. If so – you’ve probably never gone further than Steven Pinker.Īnd “ The Language Instinct” is his magnum opus. How the Mind Creates LanguageĮver wondered how you are able to comprehend this sentence so effortlessly? If not – here’s your chance to. MicroSummary: Aimed at the general public, Steven Pinker’s “The Language Instinct” builds upon Noam Chomsky’s and Derek Bickerton’s theories and presents a cogent argument for a genetically preprogrammed short-termed capacity of the human brain to acquire and use language.

The language instinct