An e-mail sent by Noam Chomsky that I mistakenly received

It's almost cliche to point out that Noam Chomsky, linguist, is not to be confused with Noam Chomsky, political thinker. You can read all about Chomsky Normal Form without knowing that the man behind the theory is considered one of America's major dissidents. Conversely, most of the lefties who flock to his non-classroom lectures don't know anaphora from cyclic phonology.

If you were already having trouble keeping the two Chomskys straight, then you probably aren't looking forward to his latest work, "An E-mail Sent by Noam Chomsky that I Mistakenly Received." Part prose poem, part novella, "An E-mail" goes for exquisite understatement where his past works have made bold pronouncements, and utter head-scratching confusion where his past works have made coherent sense. It also establishes him as a major misdirected-e-mail-writing talent independent of his other divergent intellectual identities.

What follows are a few excerpts from "An E-mail."

Chomsky is so beloved, some say, because of the way he makes us reassess our assumptions. This intro, then, is echt Chomsky. Obviously, I'm not Noam Chomsky. But then, how did I get this e-mail, if it was only sent to Noam Chomsky? This leaves open the possibility that I really am Noam Chomsky.

I'm returning the hardcopy backup, and am also forwarding this letter to myself since I want to save it -- mention it just so that you won't be confused.

So, is "myself" here really "myself", that is "Noam Chomsky"? Obviously, the reference to being confused is a knowing mockery of the befuddlement Chomsky is inflicting on receivers of this e-mail.

EM = e-mail. * = already sent; ** = dump; */** already sent AND dump; *** = file; ? = check with me; ??? = "can you take care of this"; ( = will answer later; ~ = dump with no response. # = initial and send without signature. % = run off for me, no need to file. $ = Hold on to it for a bit and if they don't respond, dump. FORM = form letter and dump. FS = form.sum = temporary form letter for summer (dump)

Notice how economical and compact Chomsky's code is here. The fact that "*/**" means something altogether different from "***" is worth noting; in the universe Chomsky has created with this e-mail, one and two do not always equal three.

@letter
Dear Senator Feingold,

Thank you very much for sending me the information on your efforts to terminate the death penalty, which I have been following with great interest and appreciation. It is a form of barbarism that should not be tolerated in a civilized society, and I hope your work meets with success.

Won't argue here.

You asked whether the address you had for me is correct. It is. @closing Sincerely,

Even in the overtly political sections of "An E-mail," Chomsky makes sly reference to the main theme, that of misdirected mail.

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