Review by: Michael Tyler
Macarthur Auditory Research Centre, The University of  Western Sydney, Bankstown.

I studied linguistics at a university where Chomsky's work was not emphasised, but through my interest in language acquisition, I have become familiar with the notions of a Language Acquisition Device, Principles and Parameters, and Deep and Surface Structure. However, there are gaps in my knowledge regarding Chomsky's ideas, especially the more recent ones. From the attractive soft cover of this book, and the enticing title � "New Horizons in the Study of Language and Mind" � I thought it could serve to fill those gaps.
The book consists of a collection of Chomsky's essays from 1992 to 2000 which collectively expound his "internalist" view of the human language faculty � the idea that language is an internal property of the individual. The first essay, "New horizons in the study of language", gave some historical context before describing the Minimalist program of the 1990s. This chapter served to fill some gaps in my knowledge, but it did not go into sufficient detail to provide the necessary background to appreciate the remaining essays, in which Chomsky applied his work in

linguistics to the philosophy of language. The expectation of prior knowledge is perhaps not a valid criticism of the essays themselves � several of those included in the volume have been published in scholarly journals where such an expectation is warranted � but a criticism of their inclusion in this book. In fact, I found Neil Smith's review of the ideas presented by Chomsky in the foreword to be clearer than Chomsky's explanations in his various essays!
I would suggest that a reasonably sound knowledge of the philosophy of language and of Chomsky's previous work are required to appreciate the ideas set out in this book. Given that most of the essays are readily available in other journals and volumes, I fail to see the advantage of their inclusion in this volume. In my opinion, a book (perhaps by Neil Smith) summarising the key arguments in this collection of essays would have made a more beneficial contribution to the literature and would have served to make Chomsky accessible to a wider audience.
It would be interesting to read a review by another ASSTA member who has received tuition in Chomskyan linguistics � as the new newsletter editor, I would be happy to forward the book to any interested party!   �