On Language

Chomsky's Classic Works 'Language and Responsibility' and 'Reflections on Language'

By: Noam Chomsky, Mitsou Ronat

Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi

Described by the New York Times as "arguably the most important intellectual alive," Noam Chomsky is known throughout the world for his highly influential writings on language and politics. Featuring two of Chomsky's most popular and enduring books in one omnibus volume, On Language contains some of the noted linguist and political critic's most informal and accessible work to date, making it an ideal introduction to his thought.

In Part I, "Language and Responsibility" (1979), Chomsky presents a fascinating self-portrait of his political, moral, and linguistic thinking through a series of interviews with Mitsou Ronat, the noted French linguist. In Part II, "Reflections on Language" (1975), Chomsky explores the more general implications of the study of language and offers incisive analyses of the controversies among psychologists, philosophers, and linguists over fundamental questions of language.

©1977 Language and Responsibility Flammarion; English translation and revisions of Language and Responsibility 1979 Noam Chomsky; Reflections on Language 1975 Noam Chomsky (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

It was boring to listen to

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No
It was read in a monotone fashion which made it hard to follow

What did you like best about this story?

It was an interesting concept

What didn’t you like about Fajer Al-Kaisi’s performance?

Very monotone

Would recommend to accompany written text

Very difficult to follow without prior knowledge. Lots of descriptions of diagrams and mathematics.. difficult to follow without written version. But great material to learn.

Difficult in audio format

Good, but difficult when commuting to work. I made a ton of bookmarks in this one for later review. As you can well imagine some aspects of this work require the hardcopy, pen and paper, and some quiet time to contemplate.

Philosophy Democratized??

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The chief irony of this book is that, in the first chapter, Chomsky upbraids the intellectual elite for using language and complexity with the intent of maintaining power over their realm. He suggests that work should and must be accessible to anyone with a desire to learn. He then proceeds with some of the most convoluted, coded and complex material I have ever been exposed to, constantly referencing other linguists and employing terminology which he never bothers to define. In the end, I ended up with empty hands.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Fajer Al-Kaisi?

Almost anyone. He reading style was beyond wooden. What was the producer thinking in casting him??

Not for anyone wanting to know his contributions

not for anyone wanting to know his contributions to linguistics

seems to just be his opions on politics and social matters.

I wish I could return it for my credit back


narrator does accents for some reason, kind of annoying.