Thanks very much to the many who have responded to my request re the
Chomsky quote. I do not know the man, or would write to him directly.
My query arises from revision of the chapter on language from the textbook
I write with my wife and now (bless her heart!) Cynthia Lightfoot. I have
obtained every ref I can to Chomsky's work and cannot find the exact quote
I used ( a huge sin in that game). As several generous participants pointed
out,
Pinker says the same sort of thing, and in fact, we quote him as part of our
explanation of how to make clear the reach of Chomsky's ideas in this
area. But I try very hard to get the letter as well as the spirit of the law(s)
straight in explicating them. The statement about language happening "to the
kid" appears often, but the organ metaphor is spotty and while I can find
some, they are not what I wrote. So, lacking positive identification, I am
modifying the text in ways that others can reliably track down. no serious
change in meaning. But accuracy has its virtues..... sometimes...
mike
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