本书的价值主要体现在两个方面，首先，它详尽阐述了生成语法”原则与参数模型“的语言观，其次，它对“管辖与约束理论”的分析系统进行卫些调整与修改，对所阐述的模型进了发展与改进，因此，《语言知识》是乔姆斯最具代表的性的语言学著作之一。 本书阐述的重点是柏拉图问题和管辖与约事理论框回，讨论的内容知识的构成与习得问题；另外还有一章勾勒出他对奥威尔问题的基本看法，举的例子是美国社会实际存在的思想操纵现象。

Cook and Newson have written an extremely clear and highly comprehensible introduction to current syntactic theory. This text makes accessible many subtleties of linguistic argumentation, and explains in plain Eenglish the reasoning involved. The second edition greatly improves on the first edition, both in depth and scope, with much new material added and many confusing points clarified. The chapter on the “Minimalist Programme” is the most lucid explication of Chomsky's reccnt writings that I am aware of,Steven Franks, Indiana University . Chomsky's Universal Crammar introduces both the general concepts of the theory particularly its goals of describing the knowledge of language and of accounting for how it is acquired, and the main areas of syntax such as X-bar theory, movement and government. Like the first edition, it puts the technicalities of the theory in the context of its wider ideas in a manner that makes them accessible to the student. The new edition is based on the current model of syntax that is most widely accepted, incorporating Barriers syntax, functional categories, and Relativized Minimality, and their implications for language acquisition. Further, it provides a sketch of the model in the process of development, the Minimalist Programme, with its attempt to reduce the theory to the minimal essentials.

Two of the twentieth century's most influential thinkers debate a perennial question. In 1971, at the height of the Vietnam War and at a time of great political and social instability, two of the world's leading intellectuals, Noam Chomsky and Michel Foucault, were invited by Dutch philosopher Fons Edlers to debate an age-old question: is there such a thing as "innate" human nature independent of our experiences and external influences? The resulting dialogue is one of the most original, provocative, and spontaneous exchanges to have occurred between contemporary philosophers, and above all serves as a concise introduction to their basic theories. What begins as a philosophical argument rooted in linguistics (Chomsky) and the theory of knowledge (Foucault), soon evolves into a broader discussion encompassing a wide range of topics, from science, history, and behaviorism to creativity, freedom, and the struggle for justice in the realm of politics. In addition to the debate itself, this volume features a newly written introduction by noted Foucault scholar John Rajchman and includes additional text by Noam Chomsky.

Noam Chomsky is one of the leading intellectual figures of modern times.He has had a major influence on linguistics,psychology and philosophy,and a significant effect on a range of other disciplines from anthropology to mathematics,education to literary criticism. In this rigorous yet accessible account of Chomsky s work and influence,Neil Smith analyses Chomsky s key contributions to the study of language and the study of mind.He gives a detailed and partly historical exposition of Chomsky s linguistic theorizing,and examines the ideas for which he is best known.Smith discusses the psychological and philosophical implications of Chomsky s work,and argues that he has fundamentally changed the way we think of ourselves,gaining a position in the history of ideas on a par with that of Darwin of Descartes.Finally,he examines Chomsky s political ideas and how these fit intellectually with his scholarly work.Smith argues that,despite Chomsky s own disavowal of any very close connection,there are fundamental ideas of rationality,creativity and modularity that draw together the disparate strands of his vast output.Throughout,Smith explores the coutroversy surrounding Chomsky s work,and explains why he has been both adulated and vilified. This much needed book will be welcomedby a wide range of readers:students and researchers in linguistics,philosophy,psychology,cognitive science and politics,and anyone with an interest in the impact of Chomsky s work.

诺姆·乔姆斯基任教于美国麻省理工学院(MIT)的语言学和哲学系，是该校为数不多的学院教授之一。他是世界著名的语言学家、哲学家、政治活动家和评论家。自上个世纪50年代以来，乔姆斯基以其诸多论著而成为当代语言学、政治、认知心理学和哲学领域中的核心人物。本书是乔姆斯基的语言学文集，书中这些论著全面阐述了乔姆斯基语言哲学思想的本质和内容。希望这本选集有助于增进学界对乔姆斯基语言哲学的进一步了解，并为一般读者深入阅读乔姆斯基的作品提供方便。