Reviewed by Agnieszka Pysz, Adam Mickiewicz University

The third edition of Chomsky’s universal grammar constitutes a refined and updated version of its two predecessors. Whereas the first edition (1988) drew on the mid-1980s version of Noam Chomsky’s theory and the second edition (1996) incorporated some of his 1990s advancements, the latest edition enriches the previous material with the Chomskyan enterprise of the 2000s. The book comprises eight chapters.

Ch. 1, ‘The nature of universal grammar’ (1–27), outlines the view based on universal grammar (UG), from the early model of Syntactic structures (1957) to its later incarnations in the form of the minimalist program. Ch. 2, ‘Principles, parameters and language acquisition’ (28–60), is divided into two parts: Part 1 is devoted to the idea of principles and parameters, whereas Part 2 covers issues related to language acquisition, such as the language acquisition device and the poverty-of-the-stimulus argument.

The focus of Chs. 3 and 4 is structure and movement, viewed through government and binding theory. Ch. 3, ‘Structure in the government/binding model’ (61–120), discusses modules of grammar relevant to deep (D)-structure—namely, theta theory, control theory, and X-bar theory. Ch. 4, ‘Movement in government/binding theory’ (121–84), discusses basic movement types (e.g. A-, A-‘, head-movement), their implementation (e.g. substitution vs. adjunction), and their restrictions (e.g. subjacency).

The next two chapters explore language acquisition. Ch. 5, ‘Chomskyan approaches to language acquisition’ (185–220), concentrates on first language acquisition; specifically, on the types of evidence available to language learners and the concept of language development (as distinct from acquisition proper). Ch. 6, ‘Second language acquisition and universal grammar’ (221–41), discusses UG in the context of second language acquisition. The authors explore the ways second language acquisition differs from first language acquisition and what implication this has for second language learners—for example, how it is possible for several grammars to coexist in the mind of one speaker.

The focus of Chs. 7 and 8 is minimalism. Ch. 7, ‘Structure in the minimalist program’ (242–70), presents the minimalist conception of phrase structure. It reviews Chomsky’s (1995) bare phrase structure and presents the minimalist approach towards adjunction and linearization. Ch. 8, ‘Movement in the minimalist program’ (271–309), provides the minimalist definition and motivation for movement and characterizes it in terms of direction and locality. The chapter ends with a summary of Chomsky’s (2001) phase system.

Cook and Newson’s work is a must for those who want to familiarize themselves with one of the most revolutionary theories of language. The book is not only well-written but also well-designed and is an excellent introduction to Chomskyan linguistics.

REFERENCES

CHOMSKY, NOAM. 1957. Syntactic structures. Berlin: Mouton.

CHOMSKY, NOAM. 1995. The minimalist program. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

CHOMSKY, NOAM. 2001. Derivation by phase. In Ken Hale: A life in language, ed. by Michael Kenstowicz, 1–52. Cambridge: MIT Press.