The Language Lottery: Toward a Biology of Grammar

by David Lightfoot

Book Overview

One of life's mysteries is how all normal children come to understand and speak their native language as quickly, easily, and spontaneously as they routinely do. The Language Lottery theorizes that linguistic competence is innate, that the mystery is akin to the budding and unfolding of a flower, the natural consequence of a genetically encoded program. It develops the concept that language structure is internally prescribed from the insights of generative...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0262620456
• ISBN13: 9780262620451
• Release Date: February 1984
• Publisher: Mit Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 8.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher