琼·艾奇逊（Jean Aitchison）：英国牛津大学语言与传播学教授，主要研究兴趣为社会历史语言学、语言与思
维、语言与媒体等，著有Words in the Mind、Language Change等著作。

本书是从一个语言学家的角度入手，既阐述了语言习得及使用的心理过程，也分析了语言能力的底层结构。其研究方法以自然观察为主，考察了四类语言数据，包括动物的交际系统、儿童的语言、正常成人的语言及失语症人的语言。作为心理语言学的通用教材和心理语言学领域历经四十多年而不衰的经典，它不仅为感兴趣的学生和读者打开了大门，还为语言与进化等崭新课题指引了方向。

Preface to the first edition xxxi
Preface to the fourth edition xxxiii

Introduction 1

1 The great automatic grammatizator 6
Need anything be innate?

2 Animals that try to talk 23
Is language restricted to humans?

3 Grandmama's teeth 47
Is there biological evidence for innate language capacity?

4 Predestinate grooves 66
Is there a pre－ordained language 'programme'?

5 A blueprint in the brain? 91
Could any grammatical information conceivably be innate?

6 Chattering children 110
Are children following 'rules' when they learn to speak?

7 Puzzling it out 135
Exactly how do children learn language?

8 Celestial unintelligibility 165
Why do linguists propose such bizarre grammars?

9 The white elephant problem 183
Do we need a grammar in order to speak?

10 The case of the missing fingerprint 199
How do we understand speech?

11 The Cheshire Cat's grin 237
How do we plan and produce speech?

12 Banker's clerk or hippopotamus? 260
The future

Suggestions for further reading 266
Refereces 272
Index 297