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cognitive scientists and resulted in the overthrow of Bloomfieldian linguistics Chomsky's revolution and behaviourist psychology more gener­ Neil Smith ally. He explains the elegance of 'deep structure' and the power of Chomsky's The Linguistics Wars. By Randy Allen Harris. Oxford University Press: 1993. Pp. 356. conception of language as expounded in £22, $30. the 'standard theory', and then shows how a disparate group of young scholars, the generative semanticists, effectively hi­ NOAM Chomsky's position in the history that constrain the development of lan­ jacked the fledgling theory and developed of ideas is comparable to that of Darwin or guage. That is, the putative hypothesis it in ways so radical that Chomsky soon Descartes. In this century his peers in space of the infant language-learner in­ came to be seen as a reactionary fighting a influence are the unlikely trio of Einstein, cludes so few possibilities that the task of rearguard action against the forces of Picasso and Freud, with each of whom he language acquisition is dramatically sim­ progress. has something in common. Like Darwin plified. For instance, the principle of The sequel to this apparent decline was and Descartes, Chomsky has redefined 'structure dependence' ensures that no remarkable. After a decade of academic our understanding of ourselves as hu­ child will ever entertain the hypothesis savagery in which the discipline was sev­ mans; like Freud- but with added intel­ that one way of relating sentences is to erely factionalized, it was Chomsky rather lectual rig our- he has revolutionized our reverse their word order, so that the than the young Turks who emerged victo­ view of the mind; like Einstein, he blends question (or negative, or future tense) of rious. His success was due in part to the intense scientific creativity with "' awesome power of his rhetoric, radical political activism; like ~ but much more to the equally Picasso, he has overturned and "' awesome power of his positive replaced his own established sys- ~ new ideas. While his rivals it: tems with startling frequency. §! appeared to be floundering in a That a book on the history of g; morass of new and unconstrained linguistics should be reviewed in rule types, Chomsky developed a Nature is ultimately due to the fact set of conditions on rules of gram­ that Chomsky's work has brought mar, which eliminated the per­ the study of language from the ceived excesses of the theory, and impressionism of the humanities which have culminated in the into the scientific fold. 'minimalist programme'. The suc­ Apart from its direct effect on cess of the principles and para­ linguistics, Chomsky's work has meters framework, allowing at had a major influence on philoso- last for a possible explanation of phy and psychology, and a minor the mystery of language acquisi­ but not insignificant effect on a tion, has excited a new generation range of disciplines from anthro- of cognitivists just as his work of pology to mathematics, from the 1950s and 1960s had excited education to literary criticism. To the old. understand this pervasive influ- Harris has captured the flavour ence presupposes a grasp of the and the fervour of the debates to defining characteristics of Choms- perfection. His account of these ky's programme, which combines battles is of interest because it mentalism, rationalism, genetic sheds light on the emergence and determination and the psycholo- development of ideas now seen to gical reality of the constructs he be seminal. Just as details of the postulates. Although behaviour­ "Chomsky's work has broughtthe study of language from the manoeuvres in the battle of Boro­ ists eschewed any appeal to the impressionism of the humanities into the scientific fold." dino are important for what they mental as being irremediably un­ reveal about Napoleon, the indi­ scientific, contemporary psychology- of 'Chomsky demolished behaviourist vidual skirmishes reported here are valu­ which linguistics forms a part - is based psychology' might be 'psychology be­ able for what they reveal about Chomsky firmly on the causal efficacy of beliefs and haviourist demolished Chomsky'. Some and for casting light on a crucial episode in desires. Moreover, what underpins this of these universal principles are 'paramet­ the history of ideas. Much recent histor­ mentalism is a version of Cartesian rized'. allowing limited and antecedently iography of linguistics is blighted by mis­ rationalism that ascribes massive innate specified variation from language to lan­ representation or bigotry, but as an eye­ cogmttve structure to the neonate. guage. reducing the child's task in learning witness of the events depicted, I can vouch Appealing to arguments both from the the possible structure of its first language for the accuracy and fairness of Harris's poverty of the stimulus and universal to that of selecting the values exhibited by dissection. He reports that both Chomsky properties of natural (human) languages, the ambient language. As in the case of and George Lakoff (the most visible and Chomsky has reinstated an epistemology immunology, linguistics has graduated in voluble of the generative semanticists) that had seemed extinct, and in doing so a generation from an instructive to a are, despite all his endeavours, in 'violent he has produced explanatory theories that selective mode. disagreement' with the substance of the are making possible an understanding of The value of Harris's outstanding, if book. They should rather be content. the nature of language and, most impor­ overly ornate, book is that it shows how Harris has achieved the near impossible: tantly, how language is acquired. we have come to where we are. He being fair to both sides in a civil war. 0 One core idea of this current work, documents in meticulous detail, with great known as 'principles and parameters sensitivity and unswerving impartiality, Neil Smith is in the Department of Phone• theory', is that humans are innately en­ how Chomsky's early theories captured tics and Linguistics, University College Lon• dowed with a set of universal principles the imagination of the new generation of don, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK. NATURE · VOL 367 · 10 FEBRUARY 1994 521 © 1994 Nature Publishing Group