Views and Mechanics Publisher's Note Editor's Note Review of Language and Mind Review of This Is My Best Review of Lost in the Void Crossword (Solution Posted in September. Printable version in pdf format of journal.) May/Jun Crossword Solution Creative Nonfiction Puttin' on My Pearls By Cathryn Braswell My Dinner with Gacy By Andy Martello Mysteries of the Shenandoah Valley By Casey Clabough Getting Lucky By Dale Purvis Poetry Your Mind and You Are Our Sargasso Sea By Lita Sorensen Midsummer By Lita Sorensen Windows By Lita Sorensen Simple Man By B.K. Birch The View from Here By Mary Hudock The Dinner Party By Ruth Mark Fiction It's in the Stars By Linda Gallant Potts An Intimate Evening with Papa By Lance Garrison Ballard The Prank By Terri L. Knight A Pocketful of Starflakes By Leslie Wolter Cover Art Photography by Seth Brown About the Contributors © 2006, River Walk Journal and respective authors and artists. All rights reserved. Do not use or reproduce without permission. River Walk Journal, Inc. Board of Directors Chairman - Elizabeth Ross Vice Chairman - Joseph Koch Secretary/Treasurer - Geri Stock-Ross Editorial Director - Patti Kurtz, DA Literacy Director - Bill Mausteller Policy Director - PA State Rep. Jess Stairs Advisory Board Chairman - Patti Kurtz, DA Asst. Chairman - Dan Lachenman, PhD Samuel Hazo Christopher Leland Edwin Yoder Joseph Bathanti Journal Staff Publisher - Elizabeth Ross Editor-In-Chief - Joseph Koch Sen. Fiction Editor - Patti Kurtz Sen. Poetry Editor - Neeldhara Misra Sen. Creative Nonfiction Editor - Brenda Coxe Contributing Editor - Robert Dittman Publicity Director (PA) - Geri Stock-Ross For information about submissions, visit http://www.riverwalkjournal.org/submission.html. Questions about promotions, subscribers' services, and advertising should be sent to publisher@riverwalkjournal.org. River Walk Journal, Inc. is a non-profit corporation run entirely by volunteers. For information about volunteer opportunities and internships, visit http://www.volunteermatch.org/results/org_detail.jsp?orgid=58479. |
Review of Language and Mind By Noam Chomsky Noam Chomsky remains firm on his convictions about the origins of language and study of linguistics in his long-awaited addition to Language and Mind. The theories offered in the first six chapters of this edition have been the target of criticism from within and beyond the linguistics community – from dissent over Chomsky’s neo-Cartesian leanings, to philosophical disagreement over the role of rule following in human cognition. Chomsky’s final chapter – the new material added in this edition - takes a dim view of current linguistics research, raising questions, which remain unanswered. “Biolinguistics and the human capacity” is first a thumbnail history of sorts for interdisciplinary study of linguistics during the past 50 years, drawing quotes and theories from philosophers, biologists and paleontologists. Then he points out the limitations of study under the format framework, and the futility of basing semantics on either a “word-object” or “symbol-sound” relation – the first being limited by the means to construct an all-inclusive system for objects, the second being limited by aberrations in pronunciation rules as illustrated in earlier chapters. In studying Universal Grammar, Chomsky suggests that the “Principles and Parameters” framework will overcome limitations of the format framework of the past. Further, he suggests the infinite nature of language - “Merge” permits the construction of new objects from objects that were already constructed. The role of evolution in the development of language is a constant concern to Chomsky, although it raises more questions than answers. Language and Mind, 3rd Ed. will undoubtedly remain on required reading lists for students of linguistics, and rightly so. It can be said that good academic texts raise as many (if not more) questions than answers, as the goal is to encourage thought and investigation. Noam Chomsky’s work encourages both his followers and his opponents to look deeper into the origins of language – by offering guidance for potential routes of research and theories to refute. |