A Mind for Language
An Introduction to the Innateness Debate
Published on 21. September 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
594 pages
978-1-108-45649-4 (ISBN)
Description
How does human language arise in the mind? To what extent is it innate, or something that is learned? How do these factors interact? The questions surrounding how we acquire language are some of the most fundamental about what it means to be human and have long been at the heart of linguistic theory. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to this fascinating debate, unravelling the arguments for the roles of nature and nurture in the knowledge that allows humans to learn and use language. An interdisciplinary approach is used throughout, allowing the debate to be examined from philosophical and cognitive perspectives. It is illustrated with real-life examples and the theory is explained in a clear, easy-to-read way, making it accessible for students, and other readers, without a background in linguistics. An accompanying website contains a glossary, questions for reflection, discussion themes and project suggestions, to further deepen students understanding of the material.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 242 mm
Width: 167 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
952 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-45649-4 (9781108456494)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
09/2023
Cambridge University Press
€143.50
Shipment within 15-20 days
E-Book
09/2023
Cambridge University Press
€45.49
Available for download
Person
Harry van der Hulst is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Connecticut. He has been Editor-in-Chief of The Linguistic Review since 1990. Recent publications include Asymmetries in Vowel Harmony (2018, Oxford University Press) and Radical CV Phonology (2020, Edinburgh University Press).
Content
I. Introduction; 1. What this book is about; II. The never-ending debate; 2. The innateness hypothesis; 3. Philosophy of mind; 4. Cognitive science; 5. Modularity; III. The mental grammar, language universals and language change; 6. The organization of the mental grammar; 7. Language universals; 8. Language change; IV. Language acquisition; 9. Language acquisition: the road from input to mental grammar; 10. Stages of language acquisition; 11. Critical period effects; 12. How children create new languages; V. Language in a different modality; 13. Sign languages; VI. Winding up; 14. Evaluating the arguments: a forum discussion.