Title
The Ascent Of Babel: An Exploration Of Language, Mind, And Understanding
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The Brain Holds Some 10 Billion Neurons, An Truly Amazing Number. But Taken One At A Time, There Is Nothing Amazing About A Nerve Cell. If You Stimulate One, It Will Stimulate Other Neurons To Which It Is Connected. And That Is All That A Neuron Does. And Yet Arising From This Great Mass Of Simple Cells Is Every One Of Our Mental Faculties, Including Perhaps The Most Marvelous Of All, Our Use Of Language. How Do Neurons Take Tiny Vibrations On The Ear Drum And Somehow Capture Meanings About The World? How Does The Brain Understand Written Words And How Does It Form A Reply? In The Ascent Of Babel, Psycholinguist Gerry Altmann Offers A Stateoftheart Look At What We Now Know About The Miracle Of Language.Here Is A Wide Ranging, Engaging Tour Of How We Use Language. Altmann Begins Even Before We Are Born, Revealing That The Fetus In The Last Trimester Is Already Listening To The Language Of Its Parents And That, Within Days Of Birth, It Can Distinguish Its Parents' Language From Other Languages. He Discusses The Incredible Progress The Child Makes In Language Recognition (Expanding From 100 Words At Age One To Some 60,000 Words By Adulthood) And He Looks At The Neural Activity Involved In Language Perception, Revealing For Instance That The Pattern Of Neural Activity Evoked By A Sentence Like The Bald Man Ate A Big Fish Is Probably Quite Similar To That Evoked By Actually Seeing A Bald Man Eat A Big Fish. There Is An Illuminating Section On Spoken Language, Highlighting Some Of The Differences Between Various Tongues (English Has Some 12,000 Syllables, For Example, While Japanese Uses Fewer Than 120, Which Explains Why Japanese Words Tend To Have Many Syllables). Altmann Shows How Errors We Make When Speakingsuch As Malapropisms And Spoonerisms (Garbled Utterances Such As The Lord Is A Shoving Leopard)Can Tell Us Much About How We Plan And Execute A Spoken Sentence, And He Explores What Happens When The Brain Misfunctions, As It Does In Aphasia, Dyslexia, And Other Forms Of Language Deficit, Such As Pure Word Deafness (Where Patients Can Read, Write, And Speak Normally, But Can'T Understand Words Spoken To Them). Finally, In One Of The Most Intriguing Sections Of The Book, The Author Provides A Fascinating Account Of Recent Experiments In Artificial Neural Networks, Describing How Scientists Simulate Neuronal Activity On A Computer, And Explaining Why Their Results Seem To Provide An Alternative To The Theories Of Noam Chomsky About Innate Structures In The Brain.The Ascent Of Babel Is A Journey Of Discovery, Illuminating How, Through The Workings Of The Brain, We Use Language To Reach Out And Touch Each Other'S Minds. Up To Date, Authoritative, And Engagingly Written, It Will Be Must Reading For Everyone Curious About The Mysteries Of Language Or Of The Mind.
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- Q: What is the page count of 'The Ascent of Babel'? A: The book has two hundred seventy-two pages. This length provides a comprehensive exploration of language and the brain.
- Q: What are the dimensions of 'The Ascent of Babel'? A: The book measures nine point seventeen inches by six point fourteen inches by zero point sixty-seven inches. These dimensions make it a convenient size for reading and carrying.
- Q: What type of binding does 'The Ascent of Babel' have? A: The book is available in paperback binding. This type of binding is lightweight and flexible, ideal for casual reading.
- Q: Who is the author of 'The Ascent of Babel'? A: The author is Gerry T. M. Altmann. He is a psycholinguist known for his work on language and the mind.
- Q: What genre does 'The Ascent of Babel' fall under? A: The book falls under the Psychology and Counseling genre. It explores cognitive processes related to language.
- Q: How do I read 'The Ascent of Babel'? A: You can read it like any other book, either by holding it or using a reading stand. It’s suitable for anyone interested in language and psychology.
- Q: Is 'The Ascent of Babel' suitable for beginners in psychology? A: Yes, the book is suitable for beginners. It is written in an engaging manner that makes complex ideas accessible.
- Q: What age group is 'The Ascent of Babel' appropriate for? A: The book is appropriate for adults and mature teens. Its themes are intellectually stimulating and may not suit younger readers.
- Q: How should I care for 'The Ascent of Babel'? A: To care for the book, keep it in a dry place and avoid exposure to direct sunlight. This will help preserve its condition.
- Q: Can I store 'The Ascent of Babel' with other books? A: Yes, you can store it with other books. Ensure it is upright and not overloaded to avoid damage to the spine.
- Q: Is there a warranty for 'The Ascent of Babel'? A: Typically, books do not come with a warranty. However, check with the retailer for their specific return policies.
- Q: What should I do if 'The Ascent of Babel' arrives damaged? A: If the book arrives damaged, contact the seller for a return or exchange. Most retailers have policies to address such issues.
- Q: Can I find 'The Ascent of Babel' in libraries? A: Yes, many libraries may carry 'The Ascent of Babel'. You can check their catalogs or request it through interlibrary loan.
- Q: Is 'The Ascent of Babel' a scholarly book? A: Yes, it is considered a scholarly work as it discusses research in psycholinguistics and cognitive science.
- Q: Does 'The Ascent of Babel' include references or citations? A: Yes, the book includes references to scholarly research. This adds credibility to the discussions presented by the author.