Christopher J. Hall, An introduction to language and
linguistics: Breaking the language spell. London/New York:
Continuum, 2005. Pp. xvii, 344. Pb. $24.95.
Part 1, “Magic,” introduces language and linguistics. The
“Language Spell” is Hall's metaphor for human
beings' misperception of the nature of language as primarily social.
The insights of (generative) linguistics hold the key to breaking the
Spell, by revealing the “essential biological reality” of the
“language faculty” (xii). The book opens with a discussion of
language and thought (“mentalese”), where terms like
“mystery” (10), “miracle” (11), “cognitive
magic” (14), and the assignment of increasingly volitional features
to the Spell (e.g., 26) set the tone.