Is the Language Faculty Non Linguistic?

A line of research in cognitive science over several decades has been dedicated to finding an innate, language-specific cognitive system, a faculty which allows human infants to acquire languages natively without formal instruction and within short periods of time. In recent years, this search has a...

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Автори: Umberto Ansaldo, N. J. Enfield
Формат: Online
Мова:Англійська
Опубліковано: Frontiers Media SA 2021
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Онлайн доступ:18301
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author Umberto Ansaldo
N. J. Enfield
author_browse N. J. Enfield
Umberto Ansaldo
author_facet Umberto Ansaldo
N. J. Enfield
author_sort Umberto Ansaldo
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description A line of research in cognitive science over several decades has been dedicated to finding an innate, language-specific cognitive system, a faculty which allows human infants to acquire languages natively without formal instruction and within short periods of time. In recent years, this search has attracted significant controversy in cognitive science generally, and in the language sciences specifically. Some maintain that the search has had meaningful results, though there are different views as to what the findings are: ranging from the view that there is a rich and rather specific set of principles, to the idea that the contents of the language faculty are - while specifiable - in fact extremely minimal. But other researchers rigorously oppose the continuation of this search, arguing that decades of effort have turned up nothing. The fact remains that the proposal of a language-specific faculty was made for a good reason, namely as an attempt to solve the vexing puzzle of language in our species. Much work has been developing to address this, and specifically, to look for ways to characterize the language faculty as an emergent phenomenon; i.e., not as a dedicated, language-specific system, but as the emergent outcome of a set of uniquely human but not specifically linguistic factors, in combination. A number of theoretical and empirical approaches are being developed in order to account for the great puzzles of language - language processing, language usage, language acquisition, the nature of grammar, and language change and diversification. This research topic aims at reviewing and exploring these recent developments and establishing bridges between these young frameworks, as well as with the traditions that have come before. The goal of this Research Topic is to focus on current developments in what many regard as a paradigm shift in the language sciences. In this Research Topic, we want to ask: If current explicit proposals for an innate, dedicated faculty for language are not supported by data or arguments, how can we solve the problems that UG was proposed to solve? Is it possible to solve the puzzles of language in our species with an appeal to causes that are not specifically linguistic?
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spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-506932024-03-29T08:00:31Z Is the Language Faculty Non Linguistic? Umberto Ansaldo N. J. Enfield BF1-990 Q1-390 development syntax Innateness evolution semantics universal grammar phonology bic Book Industry Communication::J Society & social sciences::JM Psychology thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology A line of research in cognitive science over several decades has been dedicated to finding an innate, language-specific cognitive system, a faculty which allows human infants to acquire languages natively without formal instruction and within short periods of time. In recent years, this search has attracted significant controversy in cognitive science generally, and in the language sciences specifically. Some maintain that the search has had meaningful results, though there are different views as to what the findings are: ranging from the view that there is a rich and rather specific set of principles, to the idea that the contents of the language faculty are - while specifiable - in fact extremely minimal. But other researchers rigorously oppose the continuation of this search, arguing that decades of effort have turned up nothing. The fact remains that the proposal of a language-specific faculty was made for a good reason, namely as an attempt to solve the vexing puzzle of language in our species. Much work has been developing to address this, and specifically, to look for ways to characterize the language faculty as an emergent phenomenon; i.e., not as a dedicated, language-specific system, but as the emergent outcome of a set of uniquely human but not specifically linguistic factors, in combination. A number of theoretical and empirical approaches are being developed in order to account for the great puzzles of language - language processing, language usage, language acquisition, the nature of grammar, and language change and diversification. This research topic aims at reviewing and exploring these recent developments and establishing bridges between these young frameworks, as well as with the traditions that have come before. The goal of this Research Topic is to focus on current developments in what many regard as a paradigm shift in the language sciences. In this Research Topic, we want to ask: If current explicit proposals for an innate, dedicated faculty for language are not supported by data or arguments, how can we solve the problems that UG was proposed to solve? Is it possible to solve the puzzles of language in our species with an appeal to causes that are not specifically linguistic? 2021-02-11T16:42:46Z 2021-02-11T16:42:46Z 2016-01-19 14:05:46 2016 book 18301 16648714 9782889199143 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/50693 eng Frontiers Research Topics image/jpeg Attribution 4.0 International http://www.frontiersin.org/books/Is_the_Language_Faculty_Non_Linguistic_/967 http://www.frontiersin.org/books/Is_the_Language_Faculty_Non_Linguistic_/967 Frontiers Media SA 10.3389/978-2-88919-914-3 10.3389/978-2-88919-914-3 bf5ce210-e72e-4860-ba9b-c305640ff3ae 9782889199143 123 open access
spellingShingle BF1-990
Q1-390
development
syntax
Innateness
evolution
semantics
universal grammar
phonology
bic Book Industry Communication::J Society & social sciences::JM Psychology
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology
Umberto Ansaldo
N. J. Enfield
Is the Language Faculty Non Linguistic?
title Is the Language Faculty Non Linguistic?
title_full Is the Language Faculty Non Linguistic?
title_fullStr Is the Language Faculty Non Linguistic?
title_full_unstemmed Is the Language Faculty Non Linguistic?
title_short Is the Language Faculty Non Linguistic?
title_sort is the language faculty non linguistic
topic BF1-990
Q1-390
development
syntax
Innateness
evolution
semantics
universal grammar
phonology
bic Book Industry Communication::J Society & social sciences::JM Psychology
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology
topic_facet BF1-990
Q1-390
development
syntax
Innateness
evolution
semantics
universal grammar
phonology
bic Book Industry Communication::J Society & social sciences::JM Psychology
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JM Psychology
url 18301
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