1. GENIE AND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION 1
Genie: An Exploration of Language Acquisition
Sandra Knecht
November, 20, 1013
University of Alabama in Huntsville

2. GENIE AND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION 2
Genie: An Exploration of Language Acquisition
Linguistics is a fascinating and complex subject, “soaked with the blood of poets,
theologians, philosophers, philologists, psychologists, biologists, and neurologists” (24).
Particular interest has been directed towards the specific mechanisms, processes, and patterns
underlying the acquisition of language. Many of the historical revelations in the realm of
linguistics come from children -- particularly those who are abused, neglected, or “wild” (6). In
Russ Rymer’s novel, Genie: A Scientific Tragedy, and the NOVA film Secret of the Wild Child,
the shocking life of a neglected young girl, Genie, is examined. Suspected of mental illness, for
the first ten years of her life Genie was strapped to a potty chair and neglected by her father. Her
father kept her and her mother in a “protective custody” where they were “virtual
prisoners” (16-17) to his gross interpretation of a habitable and nurturing environment.
Consequently, Genie grew up, neglected and socially isolated. As demonstrated in both the novel
and the film, Genie’s remarkable case provided valuable evidence for psychological theories
concerning the acquisition of language.
Noam Chomsky is an important “nativist, generative, transformational” (28) contributor
to the study of linguistics. His major theoretical assertion is the idea that language is an innate
faculty. He suggested that syntax is biologically derived (174). He also explored the concept of
universal grammar, which proposes that we are born with a set grammatical understanding of
language. The ability to a child to manipulate grammar indicated, to Chomsky, the presence of a
“language acquisition device”, or a specific set of language learning tools. “Wild child” cases,
like those of Genie and Victor, offer support for Chomsky’s view of language acquisition. Victor,

3. GENIE AND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION 3
who was examined in light of Locke’s empiricist ideals (69), could understand others and read a
small amount, but he was never able to speak. This suggests that when he was discovered at age
eleven, he had already outgrown the critical age for acquiring language (74). Passing through
puberty is theorized to extinguish the ability to develop language skills. The neuropsychologist,
Eric Lenneberg, substantiated this concept as the “critical period hypothesis” in his book
Biological Foundations of Language (84). He proposed that a child’s brain is flexible in early
years, but after puberty it becomes inflexible, causing a loss in the brain’s ability to organize
language learning (169). To continue, Genie’s case also provides striking support for Chomsky’s
and Lenneberg’s theories. One year after Genie had been rescued, her language ability was equal
to that of a two year old child. She had the ability to distinguish between types of nouns and
between positive and negative sentences. She could form sentences with up to three words.
Around the age of two is when psychologically healthy children will experience a sudden burst
of vocabulary knowledge. Unfortunately, Genie did not make this advancement. Even four years
later, she was unable to master negation. In Chomsky’s view, Genie was unable to use
“movement” (27), the ability to reorganize a declarative sentence. Her ultimate inability to move
in to later stages of language development strongly supported Chomsky and Lenneberg’s
hypotheses involving the critical period of acquisition.
To explore Genie’s language acquisition further, it is important to consider the
behaviorist, B.F. Skinner, and his viewpoint. While Chomsky was a proponent of the nature
argument in developmental psychology, Skinner provided an alternate approach to the concept of
human malleability in “verbal behavior” that is more aligned with the nurture argument. His
theory is important to consider in light of Genie because her childhood environment played a

4. GENIE AND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION 4
significant role in her development that wasn’t entirely elucidated with Chomsky’s theory. In the
NOVA film, Susan Curtiss asserts that it is impossible to consider Genie’s case if the
consideration of her environment is neglected. Skinner argued that in order for a child’s language
ability to develop, they must be taught and exposed to all aspects of language from a young age.
He also aligned himself with the idea of a critical period for language acquisition. He proposed
that children acquire language through the principles of conditioning, which include association,
imitation, and reinforcement, within a limited time period. Because Genie was never taught or
exposed to environmental stimulation, her story provides evidence for Skinner’s theory. Genie
was not exposed to speech in her environment. Her father would punish any family member who
spoke above a whisper, and discouraged talking altogether. Since Genie had never been exposed
to language properly, she was unable to produce it properly. She had never been positively
reinforced to establish the value behind words and phrases. However, when Susan Curtiss trained
Genie in the fundamentals of linguistics, Genie was positively reinforced in her learning and,
therefore, able to make advancements. Genie showed progress when she exhibited the
association of emotions with facial expressions. She expressed sadness when her original doctor,
Dr. James Kent, would leave their visits (49). This supports the behaviorist viewpoint because
Genie was able to learn some language by imitating her environment, forming associations, and
being appropriately reinforced by her caretakers. She even grew to show signs of pre-operational
Piagean cognition and Vygotsky’s concept of self awareness by actively seeking definitions for
objects and attempting to break from her egocentrism (94). Her speech had improved
dramatically in both quality and quantity (102), and Curtiss acknowledged this striking change
(118). She was also able to verbalize events from her past, an impressive feat (129).

5. GENIE AND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION 5
Unfortunately, she was unable to reach full development because she was “deprived and largely
isolated” (41) during her critical period and Susan Curtiss’ “late arrival” (86) into Genie’s life.
She had acquired semantic ability, but remained unable to learn syntax and her abilities were
scattered and unreliable (156).
Chomsky and Skinner’s theories regarding language acquisition were largely based on
abstract ideas, and were not substantially supported by data or scientific experiments. Because of
this, neither theoretical standpoint has been accepted in totality. It would be possible to
effectively test their ideas if case studies of “wild children” could be isolated, dissected into
categories (of environment, age, ability, experience of puberty, etc.), and compared
experimentally. However, socially isolated children do not “emerge” frequently, so the chance of
this occurring randomly is extremely low. Similarly, if a scientist were to produce the proper
conditions for experimentation, it would undoubtedly be the product of unethical procedure.
Because the concept of language acquisition is multifaceted and includes the interconnected
complexities of environmental interactions and progressive neural structure advances, it is
impossible to validate either theory. If ethics were negligible, tests could be performed on
subjects that were “lab raised” to meet particular conditions. For example, manipulating the
subject’s environment may indicate whether or not specific instruction is pertinent in language
acquisition (Skinner would say yes and Chomsky would disagree). Manipulation of
environmental interaction, availability of language instruction, and social interactions in various
subjects across various ages between infancy and adolescence could produce specific data to
reveal the exact mechanisms behind critical language development and the factors that influence
it’s formation.

6. GENIE AND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION 6
Genie’s treatment was mistake-ridden, and arguably, the cause of her regression. Susan
Curtiss accused Genie’s earliest caretaker of being possessive of Genie for the advancement of
her career (97). After she left Butler’s care, Genie was moved from home to home, which
provided an overwhelming and inconsistent new lifestyle. She was robbed of a sense of security
and safety. Genie was also failed by the scientific community when her funding was removed
because she had not progressed in the way that they were looking for. Mistakes were also made
by her caretakers who failed to work with one another or to clearly define their research or
findings. Research was the focus, but it was ill-executed, and “the science would have fared
better if the human aspect had been put first” (216). Genie was exploited scientifically and was
viewed as property by many of her doctors and caretakers. In the NOVA film, each caretaker that
was interviewed displayed a strange “covetous” attitude for Genie. There was a gross
discrepancy between “what Genie could best reveal to science, and..what science could ethically
ask of Genie” (57). Ideally, recovery, comfort, and survival would have been the number one
priority for Genie. An organized team effort outlined by standardized research procedures would
have also provided the appropriate structure for Genie’s research and rehabilitation. These
procedures should also be incorporated into the therapies in modern society for these types of
situations. Ultimately, the tasks of ensuring strict ethical standards and maximizing the efficiency
of research procedures are vital to this type of research, and may have altered the outcome of
Genie’s story.