Human evolution; Chomsky Everett language fight II (Introduction)

by David Turell , Sunday, September 13, 2020, 18:11 (1313 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: From what I have read the Chomsky theory is that there is an innate grammar and syntax in all of us at birth, to b e developed from listening. I confer with God in English. My German is weak and Yiddish very sketchy.

dhw: Grammar and syntax do not have an independent existence from words, and I have never yet met any toddler who was able to put together sentences before first speaking isolated words. Children develop their vocabulary from listening, and they develop the ability to join words from listening. And different languages have different words and different ways of joining words, though many languages have certain elements of syntax in common. As for your conferences with God, has he ever joined in the conversation?

Not directly, but the evidence of His designs is overwhelming.

Had another thought. The argument is really from a different direction. Yes kids learn their native language by mimicking what their hear. However, as inventive as humans have turned out to be the claim is that all languages have the same basic structure with different words. That means something is innate.