Criticizing Chomsky

[Leila Monaghan]

Scanning the web for Chomsky's views on science (I'm being a good girl and
trying to work on our panel at the AAAs now rather than later), I came
across his Wikipedia page.  There was a section for criticism but no one had
actually filled it in.  The paragraph below is the start of my critique
(ripped off from my intro) but y'all are invited to play.  Unleash that
articulate pent up rage against the Chomsky machine!  I haven't put in any
refs yet.  Will try to when I get to them in my intro.

All best, Leila

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noam_Chomsky#Criticism
Since the 1960s, linguistic anthropologists have been critical of Chomsky's
emphasis on competence rather than performance. In 1972, Dell Hymes pointed
out that Noam Chomsky's (1965) idea that linguistic theory should the "ideal
speaker-listener, in a completely homogenous speech community" ignored the
reality of the actual language learning situations. "From the standpoint of
the children we seek to understand and help, such a statement may seem
almost a complete declaration of irrelevance" (Hymes 1972 [2001]: 53). Hymes
and other linguistic anthropologists argue instead for language models that
emphasize the interaction between sociocultural environment and the use of
language rather than language as an attribute of the brain.

On Mon, Oct 13, 2008 at 12:49 PM, Laura M. Ahearn <ahearn at rci.rutgers.edu>wrote:

> Dear Colleagues,
>
> I want to draw your attention to a job opening here at Rutgers. It is for a
> cultural anthropologist specializing in Latin America or the Caribbean, but
> as you will see from the job ad copied in below, one of the areas of
> possible expertise is language. We would therefore welcome applications from
> linguistic anthropologists who are trained in cultural anthropology as well
> and who would strengthen our Critical Interventions in Theory and
> Ethnography (CITE) Program. Ability to teach our Introduction to Linguistic
> Anthropology and/or Language and Social Diversity classes would be a plus,
> but candidates must have a strong background in social theory and must be
> able to contribute to teaching and intellectual conversations in the field
> of cultural anthropology as well as linguistic anthropology.
>
> Please feel free to pass this announcement along to students and colleagues
> elsewhere. Also, please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any
> questions.
>
> Laura
>
> *************************************************
>
> The Department of Anthropology at Rutgers, the State University of New
> Jersey, invites applications for a tenure-track position in Cultural
> Anthropology at the Assistant Professor level to start Fall 2009, subject to
> the availability of funding. We seek someone with expertise in Latin America
> or the Caribbean. The ideal candidate's research will engage questions of
> race and/or ethnicity, with preference for such thematic areas as law,
> language, health, the state, or popular social movements.
>
> The successful candidate will strengthen the Department's Critical
> Interventions in Theory and Ethnography (CITE) program, which integrates
> contemporary critical cultural and linguistic theories with deep
> ethnographic engagement in a world transformed by globalization, with
> special emphasis on the study of culture, equality, justice, and rights.
>
> Candidates holding the Ph.D. are preferred, but in exceptional cases, ABDs
> will be considered. Candidates should demonstrate excellence in teaching,
> creative scholarship, and ongoing field research. Application materials
> should include a curriculum vitae, a statement of research and teaching
> interests, one writing sample of fewer than 30 pages, and the names and
> contact information of three references. Send materials (electronic
> submissions only) to cite-search at anthropology.rutgers.edu. Review of
> applications will begin October 20, 2008 to allow some interviews to be
> scheduled at this year's annual meeting of the American Anthropological
> Association.
>
> As one of 34 public US institutions that belong to the Association of
> American Universities, Rutgers is among the leading research universities in
> the US and Canada. Rutgers University is an equal opportunity/Affirmative
> Action employer, with a historic commitment to diversity.
>
>
> *****************************************
> Laura M. Ahearn
> Associate Professor
> Graduate Program Director
> Department of Anthropology
> Rutgers University
> 131 George Street
> New Brunswick, NJ 08901
> (732) 932-5298
> http://anthro.rutgers.edu/faculty
>
> *****************************************
>