Explorations in the biology of language Ed. by Edward Walker (review)

248 LANGUAGE, VOLUME 57, NUMBER 1 (1981) here is to give a genuine assessment ofits many merits and few shortcomings. As indicated in the subtitle, the scope of the discussion focuses on the West—i.e. essentially on translation as conceived and practiced in Western Europe since Roman times, with occasional forays into the English, French, and Spanish speaking world beyond the boundaries of the Old Continent. Timewise, the book covers two millennia of intellectual history; as regards textual material, K has taken into consideration religious, literary, and technical writings. Translation theory proper is related to (and discussed in terms of) general linguistic theory of the structuralist vein, with particular reference to some of the disciples of Saussure (esp. Ch. Bally, instrumental in developing French-German contrastive studies)—as well as to language hermeneutics (from Herder, Goethe, and Humboldt right up to Heidegger, Gadamer, and some post-structuralist linguists and semioticians)—and, moreover, to contemporary sociolinguistics. Kelly's main point rests on the contention that, fundamentally, translation techniques have not changed since Cicero. The variations that can be observed over time, as they apply to literary and technical translation, creative (i.e. not only REcreative) and accurate, are primarily the result of the differently perceived communicative functions of the original texts from which translators have worked. A balance among relevant techniques is maintained at different times, and in different cultural and social settings . Thus K sketches a translation model which postulates that, basically, the techniques of translation are constant regardless of genre, style etc. What varies within the framework of the model, and what determines differences in translation, is the particular purpose; hence a translator concerned only with accurate transmission of information will handle his task differently from the translator with aesthetic ambitions . Each period is also said to have its own culturally determined way of applying standard techniques to convey its own perception of the original; e.g., the Bible, Aristotle, or Virgil have been dealt with differently according to the specific ways they were perceived and interpreted. So defined, the translation model proposed turns out to be universal: it does not suggest that all types of translation share a common element in their outcome, but rather that each translator, acting as the archetype of his potential readership, determines the result by his perception of the original text. Such is K's basic line ofreasoning, developed throughout this highly learned and thoughtful volume in nine chapters: 'Translation and language theory', 'Models and definitions', 'Translations and their functions', 'Approaching the text', 'Linguistics and lexicon', 'Linguistics and translation structure', 'Message, style and form', 'Rights and duties: "Fidus interpres" ', and 'Theory oftranslation'. An appendix illustrating originals with translations by several hands, plus an ample bibliography, round out this volume of rewarding, if at times controversial, reading. [Henrik Birnbaum, UCLA.] Explorations in the biology oflanguage. Ed. by Edward Walker. Montgomery , VT: Bradford Books, 1978. Pp. 247. $18.95. The problem of the relationship between thought and language, and specifically the question ofthe primacy ofone or the other, has been a topic of heightened controversy over the last several decades. Recent advances in brain research have made it possible to approach fuller understanding of the neuropsychological processes involved in the coding and decoding of human speech. A related approach, bound to reveal some of the mysteries of the nature of language, deals with information transfer in biology : striking analogies in the structure and operation ofthe genetic and the linguistic codes, respectively, are increasingly being ascertained in research conducted, in particular, in America , the Soviet Union, and France (cf. the work of F. Jacob). TG grammar, in its several versions elaborated to date (ST, EST, REST), continues to stress the species-specific innate capacity for language—which, translated into biological terms, is tantamount to a genetically programmed structure. The present volume, taking E. Lenneberg's pioneering Biological foundations of language (1967) as a point of departure, is a collection of five fairly technical papers from the MIT 'Work Group in the Biology of Language', falling squarely into the rapidly expanding field ofneurolinguistics . Prefaced with a brief statement by M. Halle and S. E. Luria, the volume also contains two instructive introductory essays of a BOOK...