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Quote by Noam Chomsky

“Plainly, children learn their language. I don't speak Swahili. And it cannot be that my language is 'an innate property of our brain.' Otherwise I would have been genetically programmed to speak (some variety of) English.”

Quote by Noam Chomsky

Author

Noam Chomsky, born on December 7, 1928, is a renowned linguist from the United States. His research in generative grammar and transformational grammar has had a profound impact on modern linguistics. Chomsky's academic achievements extend beyond linguistics, as he is also an active political commentator and philosopher, known for his unique perspective and profound insights. more

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“Some innate capacity - some part of the human genetic endowment - enters into language acquisition. That much is uncontroversial among those who believe that humans are part of the natural world. If it were not true, would be a miracle that my granddaughter reflexively identified some elements of the blooming buzzing confusion as language-related and went on to acquire capacities of the kind that you and I are now exercising, while her pet kitten (chimp, songbird, bee...), presented with exactly the same data, could not take the first step, let alone the later ones.”

“What is the nature of the genetic endowment? How does acquisition proceed? Etc. Scientists do routinely ask similar questions about the visual system, system of motor organisation, and others - including, in fact, the digestive system.”

Doe Facts Asks Scientist Including Visuals Etc Motor Acquisition Organisation Endowment Digestive System

Author:Noam Chomsky

“It's a mistake to suppose that capacities must evolve gradually. There are many known examples of sharp changes - slight genetic modification that yields substantial phenotypic effects, and much else.”

Mistake Known Effects Example Capacity Evolve Yield Modification

Author:Noam Chomsky

“The human digestive and visual systems did clearly evolve over a very long period.”

Humans Long Periods Evolve Visuals

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Anatomically modern humans are found up to 200,000 years ago; behaviourally modern humans appear very recently in evolutionary time, as far as evidence now exists, perhaps within a window of 50-100,000 years ago, a flick of an eye in evolutionary time.”

Years Humans Eye Found Modern Evidence Years Ago Window

Author:Noam Chomsky

“I did not say that language as a completed system emerged in an individual in an instant. But I cannot think of a coherent alternative to the idea that mutations take place in individuals, not communities, so that whatever rewiring of the brain yielded the apparently unique properties of language, specifically recursive generation of hierarchically structured expressions, would therefore have taken place in an individual, and only later been used among individuals who had inherited this capacity.”

Thinking Ideas Used Individual Language Community Brain Taken Generations Expression Unique Capacity Property Alternatives Instant Mutation

Author:Noam Chomsky

“If the rewiring of the brain that yielded recursive generation of hierarchically structured expressions took place in an individual, not a group (and there seems to be no coherent alternative), then interaction must have been a later phenomenon.”

Ifs Has Beens Seems Individual Brain Generations Groups Expression Alternatives Phenomenon Interaction

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Language would have evolved first as an internal object, a kind of "language of thought" (LOT), with externalisation (hence communication) an ancillary process. I can't review here the strong and growing evidence to support this conclusion, but I have elsewhere. There are ample reasons why having a LOT would confer selectional advantage: the person so endowed could plan, interpret, reflect, etc., in ways denied to others.”

Way Firsts Kind Persons I Can Reason Language Strong Process Support Growing Plans Objects Communication Evidence Advantage Conclusion Reason Why Etc Internals Reviews Denied Elsewhere

Author:Noam Chomsky

“While language can surely be used for communication (as can much else), communication probably has no special role in its design or evolution.”

Used Language Roles Special Design Communication Evolution

Author:Noam Chomsky

“As for organs, traits, etc., being "for" something, the notion may be a useful shorthand, but shouldn't be taken too seriously, if only because of the ubiquitous phenomenon of exaptation.”

Ifs May Taken Notion Etc Phenomenon Traits Organs Shorthand

Author:Noam Chomsky