Language Instinct

In our social relations, the race is not to the swift but to the verbal—the spellbinding orator, the silver-tongued seducer, the persuasive child who wins the battle of wills against a brawnier parent

“the X-bar theory

This general conception of grammar, first proposed by Chomsky, is called the “principles and parameters” theory.

“the scandal of induction,”

Oronyms are often used in songs and nursery rhymes: I scream, You scream, We all scream For ice cream.

Mairzey doats and dozey doats And little lamsey divey, A kiddley-divey do, Wouldn’t you?

Furry jewelers create distressed stains.

But I admit that this idea has no more evidence in its favor than the ding-dong theory (or than Lily Tomlin’s suggestion that the first human sentence was “What a hairy back!”).

— look this up