The Prism of Grammar: How Child Language Illuminates Humanism

by Tom Roeper

Every sentence we hear is instantly analyzed by an inner grammar; just as a prism refracts a beam of light, grammar divides a stream of sound, linking diverse strings of information to different domains of mind—memory, vision, emotions, intentions. In The Prism of Grammar , Tom Roeper brings the abstract principles behind modern grammar to life by exploring the astonishing intricacies of child language. Adult expressions provide endless puzzles for the child to solve. The individual child's solutions ("Don't uncomfortable the cat" is one example) may amuse adults but they also reveal the complexity of language and the challenges of mastering it. The tiniest utterances, says Roeper, reflect the whole mind and engage the child's free will and sense of dignity.

He offers numerous and novel "explorations"—many at the cutting edge of current work—that anyone can try, even in conversation around the dinner table. They elicit how the child confronts "recursion"—the heartbeat of grammar—through endless possessives ("John's mother's friend's car"), mysterious plurals, contradictory adjectives, the marvels of ellipsis, and the deep obscurity of reference (" there it is, right here "). They are not tests of skill; they are tools for discovery and delight, not diagnosis. Each chapter on acquisition begins with a commonsense look at how structures work—moving from the simple to the complex—and then turns to the literary and human dimensions of grammar. One important human dimension is the role of dialect in society and in the lives of children. Roeper devotes three chapters to the structure of African-American English and the challenge of responding to linguistic prejudice.

Written in a lively style, accessible and gently provocative, The Prism of Grammar is for parents and teachers as well as students—for everyone who wants to understand how children gain and use language—and anyone interested in the social, philosophical, and ethical implications of how we see the growing mind emerge.

Genres: Language, Linguistics

355 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2007

Reviews

[Radha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bloated essay about how facility with using language, particularly in children, is not an indicator of general intelligence. It's an important point to make, but not really in a book whose back blurb says it's about child language acquisition (and it's a point that could be made in a well-written page, not 3 chapters). The smattering of "language games" to play with one's child are given as exciting avenues to explore language acquisition pathways, but there is very little detail about the scientific research surrounding their motivations. Probably I'm not in the intended audience for this book.

[Max · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't manage to make it all the way through the book, although I might force myself to read the last 30 pages (I mean, I made it through the first 270). It's a boring book about some interesting ideas about language. It begins with a step by step description of how children acquire language by setting out the grammatical structures both inherent and learned in all spoken langauges. This leads to what I believe is the author's main point: that because we all have, underneath our many dialects, the same basic "language" underneath, at least in a neurological sense, then we should respect all other human beings' ways of speaking. There is a large section comparing and defending African American English to Mainstream American English, with arguments made elsewhere, such as how the double negative is apparent in many romance languages. It's an interesting and important point, but somehow the tone manages to come across as a little patronizing, despite the fact that I think Roeper feels passionately about the topic. Perhaps it's the stodgy way in which phrases from different dialects (in British English, AAE, MAE) are placed on the page and picked apart by someone who has clearly never actually said any of them out loud.

Overall, the book feels a little stuck in going over minutae of grammar in children, while contrastingly making sweeping generalizations about human beings without going into enough (for me) depth with any particular claim. I'm glad I read it, but I didn't enjoy it.

[Mishehu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb, brilliantly reasoned and deeply thoughtful book. A must read for anyone interested in contemporary linguistics, theories of child language acquisition, and philosophy of mind. A font of fascinating observations and challenging hypotheses, and a hugely engaging read. Moreover, contra other reviews on this page, Roeper makes perfectly clear -- in lucid and entertaining prose -- precisely how childhood language illuminates humanism.

[Chris Jasinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roeper provides amazing insight into the child's journey of learning a language. Although it's written from the scope of Linguistics, it brings up seriously philosophical questions while still being incredibly accessible.

[Carrie]

Booooring..... Child language illuminates humanism? I think not.