Witty words by Steven Pinker

Steven Pinker has a way with words.

Named one of Time's 100 most influential people in 2004, the best-selling Harvard psychology professor spoke in Irvine Auditorium yesterday on his new book, The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature.

His presentation was part of the 2008 Levin Family Dean's Forum, an annual celebration of the arts and sciences featuring leading intellectual figures.

The event started with the presentation of this year's Dean's Scholars, chosen for their outstanding academic achievement and intellectual promise.

Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Rebecca Bushnell introduced Pinker, calling his lifetime goal "the old-fashioned one: illuminating human nature."

Pinker argues that "everything from language to love is a result of the process of natural selection," Bushnell said.

For Pinker, our words do more than convey thoughts; they are windows into the biological adaptations of language. Grammar is a window into thought, swearing a window into emotion and innuendo a window into relationships, he says.

He noted how language reflects our understanding of the theory of physics. When we say something is "underwater," what we really mean is that it is surrounded by water. The way "we reduce the three-dimensional body to its two-dimensional surface" reveals our visual perception of the world in these terms, Pinker said.

Pinker presented countless other examples in his PowerPoint of similarly didactic diction. For instance, "Why does a man with hair on his head have more hair than a man with hairs on his head? Why is it called after dark when it's really after light?"

His discussion of swearing - including the 34 euphemisms for feces - produced frequent bursts of laughter from audience members. Referencing various theories on why we swear, Pinker concluded that "humans are prone to strong negative emotions."

Finally, Pinker addressed language's role in social relations, focusing on the implication of "indirect speech," the way we say things in a veiled manner in order to conceal our true intentions. "We're counting on you to show leadership in our Campaign for the Future" he noted, simply means "Give money."

Such language, he said, has practical importance in diplomacy, extortion, bribery and sexual harassment.

Pinker's solution to indirect speech is mutual knowledge, "the basis for a relationship" involving reciprocal understanding he said.

College freshman Elisheva Goldberg felt the speech was too prepared, but she enjoyed Pinker's witty approach to the subject matter.

"The speech had an art to it . it was manicured as opposed to organic," she said.

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