Pinker's next book

Steven Pinker is putting out a new book due out in September called, The Stuff of Thought. The three major concepts in the book appear to be: indirect speech, our use of metaphor and swearing. A quote that sums it up nicely is:

"For Pinker all three categories of language provide windows on human nature, and analyzing them can reveal what people are thinking and feeling. The approach builds upon his earlier thesis that human nature has distinct and universal properties, some of which are innate – determined at birth by genes rather than shaped primarily by environment."

From what I get from the article, Pinker will be analyzing these uses of language across cultures to see what each has in common.

I am very much looking forward to this book. Pinker has an excellent writing style. If it's anything like his other books, it will be entertaining, enlightening, elegant and an easy read!

If you haven't already done so . . . I recommend reading: The Blank Slate, How the Mind Works and The Language Instinct.