This book is truly fascinating. I didn't know before what modern linguistics was about neither did I know a lot about neuropsychology. This book really takes you through the two domains, as in a fascinating story, and finally uncovers a surprising link between the core structure of human languages, namely syntax, and the brain.



One of the aspects that I really appreciated of Moro's book is that he never cheats on any major issue or tries to hide the problems behind them. He is surely aware that the human brain is an immensely complex organ and the structure of grammars hasn't even been discovered yet. Nevertheless, although this might have stopped many from further research, he undertook this challenge and arrived at the interesting conclusion that the absence of certain types of grammar among the languages of the world cannot be the result of convention or historical accident. Learning an "Impossible" language does not activate the usual neuronal net which is involved for language; thus, the structure of grammar cannot be independent of the brain structure. All this was discovered by him and the group or researchers he works with by assembling ideas and materials that goes back to the foundations of linguistics and neuropsychology: thus the book also qualifies as a direct testimony of a discovery in science.



I have also found the book very clear and, sometimes, similar to the way a spy-story is written rather than a scientific essay. The only remarks is the last chapter, that the author recognizes as somewhat peripheric. It seems to me more like a window open on future research rather then the report of achieved accomplishments. Still, it was fun to read. I would recommend it to anyone interested in language and the brain.