Noam Chomsky Walks into a Bar

Bill Idsardi sent me this link to an interview of Chomsky when he was in Ann Arbor. It pretty well reprises the themes that Chomsky touched on in his public lecture. The discussion makes clear why Chomsky thinks that the communicative view of language is both empirically incorrect (basic structure does not facilitate or reflect communication goals) and methodologically hopeless as an object of study (just much too complicated) There are also some pretty amusing comments that the interviewer intersperses and a link to the full raw interview. A personal remark: there is something charming about the interview, both the questions and internal dialogue and Chomsky's openness and availability. Those who have interacted with Chomsky will recognize these traits and be, once again, delighted. Enjoy.