This guy has never met my friends

[pecunium]

Language, however, puts information first and manipulation second. Suppose I were to explain to you Einstein's theory of relativity, or Chomsky's theory of a biologically based language organ. My purposes in giving you the information might well be that of impressing you, or even ultimately mating with you (although anyone who could be induced to mate by such means would have to be pretty weird).

Adam's Tongue Derek Bickerton p. 48

Comments

[txanne.livejournal.com]

Men who use language only for information don't get second dates with me. But that's fine, because they tend to find me unnerving, bless their little cotton socks.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

I think some of the content is lost in stripping that quotation from context. He isn't saying people don't use it for more than information (in fact he lists non-informational content) but that language, as a thing independent, is merely a means of conveying it.