First Language: Book Reviews

from which we can draw. As it happens, Napoli also guides the reader towards a limited number of printed sources at the end of each chapter, and these derive from more recognizable academic sources. Again, the student is furnished with a useful resource. I guess that this book would prove valuable as ‘extra reading’ on many undergraduate courses in linguistics and psychology. It could, of course, be positioned more centrally as an introductory text for students, but only if the content of courses reflected a substantial number of the topics addressed by Napoli, and not just old favourites such as ‘Can animals acquire language?’ and ‘Is there a critical period?’ Given the observations made above, however, that is unlikely to obtain in many instances at present. I believe this is a shame. Even if it turned out that the non-linguistic laity were, in fact, asking all the wrong questions, we nevertheless have a duty to establish that much at least. It behoves more academics to grapple, as Napoli has done so well, with topics that otherwise slip through their fingers. For that reason, this book should most assuredly be recommended to child language researchers. Anything that forces our heads above the parapet, to view the world outside academia from time to time, can only be a good thing. MATTHEW SAXTON University of Westminster