The document discusses the innateness hypothesis in linguistics, which claims that human language ability is special and separate from other mental abilities. It is proposed that humans have a special language module in the brain that is hardwired for language. In 1957, Chomsky looked for evidence of this unique language ability through phrase structure rules. The document also presents an alternative hypothesis by Evans that if all life is inherently language-like as Richard Dawkins claimed, then ordinary thought may also have some language-like properties, meaning a special language faculty would not be necessary to explain innate language knowledge.

1. Phrase Structure Rules 1957 -65

2. • How do children learn languages so quickly?
• Isn’t there too much information?
• Why does it get more difficult after a certain
time?

3. Innateness hypothesis

4. Be careful!
• What does the Innateness Hypothesis claim?
• We are innately better at learning languages
than animals.
• Nobody disagrees with this.

5. We are innately superior to animals at
languages
• Nobody disagrees with that
• Nobody has EVER disagreed with it
• Never in history
• That’s NOT the innateness hypothesis!

6. OK, so what IS the INNATENESS
hypothesis?
• Human language ability is SPECIAL PURPOSE
• It is separate from other mental abilities
• It works INDEPENDENTLY from other mental
abilities
• The skills involved in language ability are
UNIQUE to language
• Ordinary mental ability is NOT involved in
language ability

7. Maybe there’s something really
different and special about our
language ability

8. Maybe language has SPECIAL rules

9. Maybe we have a SPECIAL language
module in our brain

10. Our brains are HARD-WIRED for
language?

11. Universal Grammar!?

12. Hard-wired in a special part of our
brain

14. It’s hypothetical

15. • Anyway, the Innateness Hypothesis became
very popular
• Chomsky started looking for evidence of how
our unique language ability works

16. 1957, Syntactic Structures

17. Phrase Structure Rules

18. Phrase Structure Rules weren’t new

19. But now we were taking them REALLY
seriously!

20. We are going to discover something
new about our brains!!

21. In 1957, it was still pretty simple

22. Simple Phrase Structure Rules

23. S -> NP + VP

24. S -> NP + VP

25. S -> NP + VP

26. S –> NP + VP

27. S -> NP + VP

28. VP -> Verb + NP

29. VP -> Verb (+ NP)

30. VP -> V + NP

31. VP -> V (+ NP)

32. VP -> V (+ Adv P)

33. NP -> Det + N

34. NP -> Det + N

35. NP -> Det + N

36. NP -> Det + N

37. Verb -> Aux + V

38. Why is aux BEFORE the verb?

39. It’s walk-ed NOT –ed walk

40. Well look at this!

41. Aux seems to come before the verb!

42. Maybe there’s some funny invisible
movement!?!

43. See! It’s not THAT crazy!

44. Is it?

45. Anyway …

46. We are starting to see …

47. Funny invisible movement

48. Keeping the same structure

49. Why keep the same structure?

50. Because it’s UNIVERSAL!!

51. Universal grammar

52. How do you keep the same structure?

53. By moving things around

54. Why is it so important?

55. Why do we need these funny
explanations?

56. 1965

57. Plato’s problem

58. Plato’s problem – not MY problem!

59. What’s his problem?

60. The gap between knowledge and
experience

61. We know stuff …

62. … without learning it

63. Innate knowledge!

64. At least it seems that way

65. Lack of input

66. The learner’s paradox

67. We are born knowing things!

68. Maybe

69. Don’t forget it’s a hypothesis

70. Hypothesis

71. Big word

72. It means JUST an idea

73. But what if we ARE born with
knowledge of language …

74. Maybe we are NOT…

75. But let’s say we ARE …

76. Does that prove…

77. … language and ordinary thought are
separate?

78. Richard Dawkins

79. Famous biologist

80. Probably the most famous biologist

81. “At the heart of life …

82. … you find information

83. Nature is language-like

84. NATURE is language-like!!

85. Everything is MADE of language!!

86. Information

87. A bit like this …

88. Like in the Bible

89. Although Dawkins HATES the Bible!

90. What lies at the heart of every living
thing …

91. … is not a fire ...

92. … not a warm breath ...

93. … not a spark of life ...

94. It is information, words, instructions …

95. If you want to understand life …

96. Think of digital technology”

97. “It is information, words, instructions”

98. Information

99. Words

100. Instructions

101. A bit like this …

102. Now here’s MY hypothesis
• It’s just an idea
• What do I know?
• I’m just me
• But here’s my hypothesis about innateness
• See what YOU think

103. The Evans Hypothesis
• If all life is language-like
• (and everyone agrees about this)
• Then ordinary thought will be a bit language-
like, too
• That explains why we seem to be born with
knowledge of language
• We don’t need a special Language Faculty

104. Richard Dawkins
• What lies at the heart of every living thing is
not a fire, not a warm breath, not a ‘spark of
life.’ It is information, words, instructions.

105. Evans
• If everything is language-like, we don’t need a
special part of the brain to explain innate
language ability.
• It’s just an idea