The Last Word on The First Word
a review of a book about the origins of language written by Chistine Kenneally and reviewed by themilum Acknowledgements First out I'd like to thank in advance the editor of the New York Times Book Review for accepting this review for publication and for the one thousand dollar remuneration he will soon send for my many hours of perusing. Unlike others I don't think that the NYTBR people are pompous literary snobs, and coincidently the transmission in my pick up truck fell out today so I sure can use the money.
Secondly I'd like to thank my friend Faldage. Faldage loaned me a copyright sticker because he thinks that the folks at the NYTBR are crooks. I said: "Well maybe the are, Mister Faldage, but if they try to steal a single "if" or a "but" from my book review they'll be publishing their next reviews from the New York Times City Jail". I hate a crook. 
The Review Bummer. But don't blame Christine Kenneally. She writes as she was taught to write i.e. by textbook formula. First, you see, you report the history of what has been said about language. Then, you see, you write what is currently being said about language. And then you ask others to speculate about the future of speculation about language. And finally (and this is important) you must review your text to be sure that you have not included an original idea in all that you have written.
In school Miss Kenneally made all A's.
What...? No, I didn't say that. I think that Miss Kenneally's book is well written and out-of-the-ordinarily entertaining. Think Miss Kenneally a linquist groupie; tramping after word rockstars and hanging onto their every word. Bright-eyed, saucy, and sharp witted, you can understand her ability to annoy self-assumed important people without them being annoyed. This leads us to the book's epilogue, which asks the most prominent theoreticians of language today this rather sophomoric question...
If we shipwrecked a boatload of babies on the Galapago Islands -- assuming they had all the food, water, and shelter they need to thrive -- would they produce language in any form when they grew up? And if they did, how many individuals would you need for it to take off, what form might it take, and how would it change over the generations?That did it. Not only was the question inane the responces of the fifteen most respected language experts in the world (from Wolfgang Fitch to Steven Pinker) displayed an ignorance of the true nature of language; one that is obvious and even glaringly apparent to four, maybe five, of the contributors to this AWAD forum.
Because of this I drop the rating of this book to
1/2 star
OP
