Genes, Brains, Evolution and Language

The Innateness Debate Continued

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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.

• Employs a multidisciplinary approach throughout, showing how the debate around innateness can be applied to other fields
• Includes a chapter that guide readers through the complex organization of language, by stressing the commonsense 'logic' of how language works
• Written in an accessible style, using concrete examples, so even the most technical concepts are explained without needing prior experience of linguistics