Battle in the mind fields /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Goldsmith, John A., 1951- author.
Imprint:Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2019.
Description:1 online resource (xix, 725 pages) : illustrations (some color)
Language:English
Subject:Linguistics -- Philosophy.
Philosophy, Modern.
Linguistics -- Philosophy.
Philosophy, Modern.
LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / Historical & Comparative
Electronic books.
Electronic books.
Format: E-Resource Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11781490
Hidden Bibliographic Details
Other authors / contributors:Laks, Bernard., author.
ISBN:9780226550947
022655094X
9780226550800
022655080X
Notes:Includes bibliographical references and index.
Description based on online resource, title from digital title page (viewed on May 28, 2020).
Summary:This work is a study of linguistics and its neighbouring disciplines - psychology, logic, and philosophy - from ca. 1840 up until 1940 and the outbreak of World War II, that aims to give the reader an entirely new sense of where these disciplines came from and what their impact has been on the way we think about language and thought today.
Other form:Print version: Goldsmith, John A. Battle in the Mind Fields. Chicago : University of Chicago Press, ©2019 9780226550800
Review by Choice Review

Linguistics is a multidisciplinary field, and it shares ideas with other "mind fields," e.g., philosophy and psychology. Goldsmith (linguistics and computer science, Univ. of Chicago) and Laks (language sciences, phonology, and cognitive sciences, Univ. of Paris Ouest, France) undertake a historical examination of some of these interdisciplinary connections, with attention to the disagreements often present in linguistics. The authors caution that this is not intended to be a comprehensive history of linguistics, but rather a historical examination of certain ideas in the field. In this way, Goldsmith and Laks's book differs from such works as the multivolume History of Linguistics, ed. by Giulio Lepschy (1994--98), and The Oxford Handbook of the History of Linguistics, ed. by Keith Allan (CH, Nov'13, 51-1311). The present book (volume 1 of a planned two-volume set) attempts to demonstrate the importance of understanding the connections between the work of past theorists and current ideas. The authors acknowledge that their purpose is partially to persuade, and their choice of theorists and movements is subjective. The writing style is readable, but the length of the text may intimidate some. Color-coded diagrams intended to demonstrate relationships among theorists require referring back to the key presented in the preface. This book will interest specialists. Summing Up: Recommended. With reservations. Graduate students, researchers, faculty. --Patti J. Kurtz, Minot State University

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review