View source for Philosophy:Chomsky's Universal Grammar: An Introduction

{{short description|Book by Vivian Cook and Mark Newson}}
{{Infobox book
| name =      Chomsky's Universal Grammar: An Introduction
| image =     Chomsky's Universal Grammar.jpg
| caption =   Third edition cover
| alt =       Chomsky's Universal Grammar: An Introduction
| author =    Vivian Cook and Mark Newson
| subject =   [[Universal grammar]] and [[Biography:Noam Chomsky|Noam Chomsky]]
| pub_date =  {{Plainlist|
* 1988 (1st ed.)
* 1996 (2nd ed.)
* 2007 (3rd ed.)
}}
| publisher = Blackwell Publishers
| pages =     304 (3rd ed.)
| isbn =      9781405111874
| dewey = 
}}
'''''Chomsky's Universal Grammar: An Introduction''''' is a linguistics book about the concept of [[Universal grammar|universal grammar]] as proposed by [[Biography:Noam Chomsky|Noam Chomsky]]. First published in 1988, its third edition was authored by Vivian Cook and Mark Newson and released in 2007.

==Synopsis==
[[Biography:Noam Chomsky|Noam Chomsky]]'s theory of a [[Universal grammar|universal grammar]] (UG) aims to describe the [[Social:Grammar|grammatical]] constraints common across [[Philosophy:Natural language|naturally arising human language]]. One constraint is the projection principle—that lexical features are preserved at every syntactic level. A non-constraint is the head parameter, wherein the head can occur at the start of the phrase in some languages and at the end in others. The universal grammar is a study of "I-language" (internalized language), not "E-language" (externalized language). Cook distinguishes Chomsky's linguistic universals from implicational universals.<ref name="SSLA"/>

On first-language acquisition (FLA), Cook presents Chomsky's [[Philosophy:Psychological nativism|nativist]] perspective—that humans are born with innate knowledge of natural language. Cook dismisses after consideration theories that FLA can be explained without nativism through the phenomena of social interaction, learning through praise or punishment (behaviourism), imitation, instruction by native speakers or non-language specific mental faculties. To Chomsky, nativism resolves [[Philosophy:Plato's Problem|Plato's Problem]] of how babies acquire knowledge of language that exceeds their experience.<ref name="SSLA"/>

The book covers, in its first edition, [[Philosophy:Government and binding theory|government and binding theory]], [[Social:X-bar theory|X-bar theory]], theta role, movement, [[Social:Second-language acquisition|second-language acquisition]] (SLA).<ref name="SSLA"/> The third edition adds coverage of the [[Social:Minimalist program|minimalist program]], a line of research that began in the 1990s, and updates its presentation of government and binding theory.<ref name="ALH"/>

==Reception==
David Birdsong, writing in ''Studies in Second Language Acquisition'', reviewed the first edition positively, praising that it has "few rivals for clarity and readability", does much to "elucidate the often misunderstood thinking of Chomsky" and incorporates critiques by Cook that mean the book "does not come across as an apologetic". Birdsong criticised Cook's views on SLA among adults and foreign language teaching, in places, as "casual", "curious" and lacking "practical guidance". He also said that Cook omitted substantial consideration of a contemporary SLA theory question: can knowledge of UG-type constraints "be derived from knowledge of FL" and "general problem-solving methods used by adults"? However, he recommended the book and saw ''Learnability and Second Languages'' (1988) as a good companion.<ref name="SSLA">{{cite journal|title=Universal Grammar and Second Language Acquisition Theory|journal=Studies in Second Language Acquisition|last=Birdsong|first=David|date=1990|volume=12|issue=3|pages=331–340|doi=10.1017/S0272263100009207 |s2cid=143583037 }}</ref>

Reviewing the third edition, Ádám Szalontai of ''Acta Linguistica Hungarica'' believed that a reader will finish the book understanding "the underlying logic of UG theory and its evolution", such that the authors are successful in their aim of "presenting a broad view to a broad spectrum of potential readers". In contrast to other writings in the field, Szalontai found it "much less technical, concentrating more on theoretical issues", and thus accessible to non-UG researchers. He praised the "understandable and intriguing" first chapter, the fact that "the authors are careful to point out their positions" and the "strong merit" that the reader is shown "not only the problems the theory tries to give answers to but also where the boundary of its inquiry lies".<ref name="ALH">{{cite journal|title=''Chomsky's Universal Grammar'' (Review)|last=Szalontai|first=Ádám|journal=Acta Linguistica Hungarica|date=2008|volume=55|issue=3–4|pages=448–453}}</ref> A reviewer for ''Times Higher Education'' praised that Cook and Newson "provide a cogent, accessible introduction that situates the still-evolving concept in the broader framework of Chomsky's work".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/books/textbook-guides/8-november-2012/the-latest-languages-and-linguistics-textbooks/311166.article|title=
The latest languages and linguistics textbooks|work=Times Higher Education|date=23 November 2007|accessdate=29 December 2022|url-access=limited}}</ref>

==Release details==
* {{cite book|title=Chomsky's Universal Grammar: An Introduction|edition=1st|last=Cook|first=Vivian|year=1988|publisher=[[Company:Wiley-Blackwell|Basil Blackwell]]|location=Oxford}}
* {{cite book|title=Chomsky's Universal Grammar: An Introduction|edition=2nd|last1=Cook|first1=Vivian|last2=Newson|first2=Mark|year=1996|publisher=[[Company:Wiley-Blackwell|Blackwell Publishers]]|isbn=9780631195566}}
* {{cite book|title=Chomsky's Universal Grammar: An Introduction|edition=3rd|last1=Cook|first1=Vivian|last2=Newson|first2=Mark|year=2007|publisher=[[Company:Wiley-Blackwell|Wiley-Blackwell]]|isbn=9781405111874}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* ''[https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Chomskys-Universal-Grammar-by-Vivian-Cook-Mark-Newson/9781405111874 Chomsky's Universal Grammar: An Introduction]'' at Blackwell's

[[Category:Philosophy of language]]

{{Sourceattribution|Chomsky's Universal Grammar: An Introduction}}