Originally published: New York : W. Morrow and Co., ©1994

From the Publisher: In this classic, the world's expert on language and mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, and how it evolved. With deft use of examples of humor and wordplay, Steven Pinker weaves our vast knowledge of language into a compelling story: language is a human instinct, wired into our brains by evolution. The Language Instinct received the William James Book Prize from the American Psychological Association and the Public Interest Award from the Linguistics Society of America. This edition includes an update on advances in the science of language since The Language Instinct was first published

Includes "P.S. : insights, interviews & more," with material about the author, the writing of the book, and the author's suggestions for further reading

Preface --

Instinct to acquire an art -- Chatterboxes -- Mentalese -- How language works -- Words, words, words -- Sounds of silence -- Talking heads -- Tower of Babel -- Baby born talking-describes heaven -- Language organs and grammar genes -- Big bang -- Language mavens -- Mind design --

Notes --

References --

Glossary --

Index