The evidence is in: there is no language instinct
5 days ago
- #cognitive science
- #Universal Grammar
- #language acquisition
- Children acquire language without formal instruction, suggesting an innate capacity.
- Noam Chomsky proposed the 'Universal Grammar' theory, arguing that humans are born with an innate grammatical framework.
- Recent evidence challenges Chomsky's theory, showing languages vary too widely to fit a universal grammar.
- Human brains and bodies are biologically prepared for language, but this doesn't necessarily mean grammar is hard-wired.
- Language acquisition is a gradual, trial-and-error process, not the automatic application of innate rules.
- The diversity of languages, including sign languages, contradicts the idea of a universal grammar.
- Neuroscience shows language processing is distributed across the brain, not localized to a 'language organ'.
- Genetic limitations make it unlikely that a complex universal grammar could be hard-wired into human DNA.
- Language likely evolved from cooperative intelligence and social needs, not a sudden genetic mutation.
- Children's ability to learn language stems from sophisticated social and cognitive skills, not an innate grammar.