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1、GUYDEUTSCHERTheUnfoldingofLanguageAnEvolutionaryTourofMankind'sGreatestInventionMETROPOLITANBOOKSHenryHoltandCompanyNewYorkContentsINTRODUCTION`ThisMarvellousInvention'Ofallmankind'smanifoldcreations,languagemusttakeprideofplace.Otherinventionsthewheel,agriculture,slicedbreadmayhavetransformedou
2、rmaterialexistence,buttheadventoflanguageiswhatmadeushuman.Comparedtolanguage,allotherinventionspaleinsignificance,sinceeverythingwehaveeverachieveddependsonlanguageandoriginatesfromit.Withoutlanguage,wecouldneverhaveembarkedonourascenttounparalleledpoweroverallotheranimals,andevenovernatureitse
3、lf.Butlanguageisforemostnotjustbecauseitcamefirst.Initsownrightitisatoolofextraordinarysophistication,yetbasedonanideaofingenioussimplicity:'thismarvellousinventionofcomposingoutoftwenty-fiveorthirtysoundsthatinfinitevarietyofexpressionswhich,whilsthavinginthemselvesnolikenesstowhatisinourmind,a
4、llowustodisclosetoothersitswholesecret,andtomakeknowntothosewhocannotpenetrateitallthatweimagine,andallthevariousstirringsofoursoul'.Thiswashow,ini66o,therenownedgrammariansofthePort-RoyalabbeynearVersaillesdistilledtheessenceoflanguage,andnoonesincehascelebratedmoreeloquentlythemagnitudeofitsac
5、hievement.Evenso,thereisjustoneflawinallthesehymnsofpraise,forthehomagetolanguage'suniqueaccomplishmentconcealsasimpleyetcriticalincongruity.Languageismankind'sgreatestinventionexcept,ofcourse,thatitwasneverinvented.Thisapparentparadoxisatthecoreofourfascinationwithlanguage,anditholdsmanyofitsse
6、crets.Itisalsowhatthisbookisabout.Languageoftenseemssoskilfullydraftedthatonecanhardlyimagineitasanythingotherthantheperfectedhandiworkofamastercraftsman.HowelsecouldthisinstrumentmakesomuchoutofbarelythreedozenTHEUNFOLDINGOFLANGUAGEmeaslymorselsofsound?Inthemselves,theseconfigurationsofthemouth
7、p,f,b,v,t,d,k,g,sh,a,eandsoonamounttonothingmorethanafewhaphazardspitsandsplutters,randomnoiseswithnomeaning,noabilitytoexpress,nopowertoexplain.Butrunthemthroughthecogsandwheelsofthelanguagemachine,letitarrangetheminsomever
