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Half a century ago, Noam Chomsky posited that humans have specific innate mental abilities to learn and use language, distinct from other animals. This book, a follow-up to the author's previous textbook, A Mind for Language, continues to critically examine the development of this central aspect of linguistics: the innateness debate. It expands upon key themes in the debate - discussing arguments that come from other disciplines, such as psychology, anthropology, sociology, criminology, computer science, formal languages theory, neuroscience, genetics, animal communication, and evolutionary biology. The innateness claim also leads us to ask how human language evolved as a characteristic trait of Homo Sapiens. Written in an accessible way, assuming no prior knowledge of linguistics, the book guides the reader through technical concepts, and employs concrete examples throughout. It is accompanied by a range of online resources, including further material, a glossary, discussion points, questions for reflection, and project suggestions.
This chapter consists of a transcription of a fictitious forum discussion in which a number of fictitious scholars participated, including some very surprising participants. The wide-ranging discussion covers the topics discussed throughout this book, and the chapter ends with the conclusion that the nature–nurture debate is still a vibrant one in which we are seeking to understand the interplay between the nurturing experience and the role of nature, whether in the form of an innate biological endowment or in the form of natural factors that go beyond the realm of the human mind.
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