Semantics is about the relation of words to thoughts, but it also about the relation of words to other human concerns. Semantics is about the relation of words to reality—the way that speakers commit themselves to a shared understanding of the truth, and the way their thoughts are anchored to things and situations in the world.

1126/science. ; Pinker S. Criticism
The Language Instinct has been criticized by Geoffrey Sampson in his book The 'Language Instinct' Debate.

Steven Arthur Pinker (born September 18 1954) is a Canadian-born experimental psychologist cognitive scientist linguist and popular science author. In his popular books he has argued that language is an "instinct" or biological adaptation shaped by natural selection.