Preface to the first edition xxxi
Preface to the fourth edition xxxiii

Introduction 1

1 The great automatic grammatizator 6
Need anything be innate?

2 Animals that try to talk 23
Is language restricted to humans?

3 Grandmama's teeth 47
Is there biological evidence for innate language capacity?

4 Predestinate grooves 66
Is there a pre－ordained language 'programme'?

5 A blueprint in the brain? 91
Could any grammatical information conceivably be innate?

6 Chattering children 110
Are children following 'rules' when they learn to speak?

7 Puzzling it out 135
Exactly how do children learn language?

8 Celestial unintelligibility 165
Why do linguists propose such bizarre grammars?

9 The white elephant problem 183
Do we need a grammar in order to speak?

10 The case of the missing fingerprint 199
How do we understand speech?

11 The Cheshire Cat's grin 237
How do we plan and produce speech?

12 Banker's clerk or hippopotamus? 260
The future

Suggestions for further reading 266
Refereces 272
Index 297