Another misunderestimator

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From M.S., we learn that Gary Marcus has joined Lila Gleitman, Chris MatthewsMark Aronoff, and  many others:

Language Log may not need another example, but Gary Marcus' book The Birth of the Mind contains this sentence at the top of page 128:  “Whether language is a medium for thought or just for communication, its importance in our lives cannot be understated.”

If you're puzzled about why this is an issue, it may help you to read "The Estimation Game" (translating appropriately from underestimate to understate).  And if you're interested in the origins of the phenomenon, I suggest "'Cannot underestimate' = 'Must not underestimate'?".

 

 



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