A radical vision that challenges standard conceptions that human language is a mere conduit for thought, that there is a Language of Thought, and that Grammar and Semantics are separable. Hinzen and Sheehan ground their Un-Cartesian approach in ancient linguistic traditions in India and in the work of the Modistae, for whom grammar was central to an understanding of minds, and reality. Upturning major assumptions of modern Linguistics and Philosophy of Language, this enthralling book is a central one for Cognitive Science

Jill De Villiers, Professor of Psychology and Philosophy, Smith College

An essential reference for anyone trying to grapple with the mysterious underpinnings of that most essential of human qualities, language

Ian Tattersall, Curator Emeritus, American Museum of Natural History

This book asks some of the most fundamental questions that there can be about language and mind, and answers them in ways which are provocative, challenging, and surprising, in the context of current theorizing within philosophy and linguistics. The theory is supported by a wealth of conceptual and empirical arguments with detailed discussion of consequences for central grammatical notions such as case, person, word order, phases, and semantic notions such as reference, predication, and truth. This must be one of the most important books about language and thought in a very long time.

Anders Holmberg, Professor of Theoretical Linguistics, Newcastle University