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Pinker's Words Don T Mean What They Mean

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In "Words Don 't Mean What They Mean," Pinker explains specialized linguistic concepts in a way that nearly all readers can understand and relate to by use of real-life examples. For instance, he uses the example of asking for salt and a reference to the Six-Day War to help readers relate specialized linguistic concepts to common gestures and real-world occurrences. In his example of passing the salt, Pinker successfully explains the concept of felicity conditions and the use of whimperatives. In his other example regarding the Six-Day War and use of Resolution 242, he explains indirect speech and the issues that can arise from incorrect use of it. In these examples, Pinker explains certain concepts of specialized linguistic concepts while

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