The language instinct

HYPOTACTIC PARATACTIC
The fact that complex language is universal Complex language is universal among human
among human beings is a gripping discovery and, beings and this fact is a gripping discovery. For
for many researchers, compelling proof that many researchers, language is innate and this is
language is innate. compelling proof.
But to tough-minded skeptics like the philosopher This is not proof at all to tough minded skeptics
Hilary Putnam, it is no proof at all. like the philosopher HP.
Not everything that is universal is innate. Not everything that is universal is innate.
Similar to travellers in previous decades who In previous decades, some travelers never
never encountered a tribe without a language, encountered a tribe without a language.
anthropologists today cannot find a people Anthropologists today cannot find a people
without mobile phones, Coca-Cola, and Bart without mobile phones, Coca-Cola, and Bart
Simpson T-shirts. Simpson T-shirts.
Language was universal before Coca-Cola was, Language was universal coca-cola. But language
but then, language is more useful than Coca-Cola. is more useful than coca-cola.
It is more like eating with one's hands rather than This is similar to eating with hands instead of
one's feet, which is also universal, but we need not one’s feet. This is also universal but we need not
invoke a special hand-to-mouth instinct to explain invoke a special hand-to-mouth instinct to explain
it. it.
Language is invaluable for all the activities of Language is invaluable for all the activities of
daily living in a community of people: preparing daily living in a community of people: preparing
food and shelter, joking, arguing, negotiating, food and shelter, joking, arguing, negotiating,
teaching. teaching.
Necessity being the mother of invention, Necessity is the mother of invention, so
resourceful people could have invented language resourceful people could have invented language
many times long ago. many times long ago
Universal grammar would simply reflect the Universal grammar would simply reflect the
universal exigencies of human experience and the universal exigencies of human experience ; it
universal limitations on human information would simply reflect the universal limitations on
processing. human information processing.
While all languages have words for "water" and All people need to refer to water and feet. So, all
"foot" because all people need to refer to water languages have words for water and foot. no
and feet, no language has a word a million language has a word a million syllables long
syllables long because no person would have time because no person would have time to say it.
to say it.
Once invented many thousands of years Language was invented many years ago. language
ago,clanguage entrenched itself within a culture as entrenched itself within a culture as parents
parents taught their children and children imitated taught their children and children imitated their
their parents, after which it spread like wildfire to parents. after this, it spread like wildfire to other,
other, quieter cultures. quieter cultures
At the heart of this process is exceptionally Human intellifence is at the heart of this process.
flexible human intelligence, which has several This has several learning strategies. They are
learning strategies that are general and have many general and have mmany purposes.
purposes.
The trail begins with the study of how the many The study includes this: how many languages do
languages we find in the world today arose. we find in the world today arose?
Althoughchistorical linguists can trace modern historical linguists can trace modern complex
complex languages back to earlier ones, this just languages back to earlier ones but this just pushes
pushes the problem back a step;cwe need to see the problem back a step. we need to see how
how people create a complex language from people create a complex language from scratch.
scratch.
Amazingly, people can do this. People can do this and this is amazing.
The first cases come from the Atlantic slave trade The first cases come from the Atlantic slave trade
and bonded labour in the South Pacific, which are and bonded labour in the South Pacific. These are
two of the more sorrowful episodes of world two of the more sorrowful episodes of world
history. history.
Perhaps mindful of the Tower of Babel, some of some of the masters of tobacco, cotton, coffee,
the masters of tobacco, cotton, coffee, and sugar and sugar plantations deliberately mixed slaves
plantations deliberately mixed slaves and and labourers from different language
labourers from different language backgrounds. backgrounds. This is perhaps reminiscent o the
tower of babel.
When speakers of different languages have to speakers of different languages have to
communicate to carry out practical tasks but just communicate to carry out practical tasks but just
do not have the opportunity to learn one another’s do not have the opportunity to learn one another’s
languages, they develop a make-shift jargon called languages. So, they develop a make-shift jargon
a pidgin. called a pidgin.
Pidgins are choppy strings of words borrowed Pidgins are choppy strings of words borrowed
from the language of the colonizers, highly from the language of the colonizers. These are
variable in order and with little grammar. highly variable in order and with little grammar.
Sometimes a pidgin can become a lingua franca Sometimes a pidgin can become a lingua franca
and gradually increase in complexity over and gradually increase in complexity over
decades, as in the "Pidgin English" of the modern decades, as in the "Pidgin English" of the modern
South Pacific. South Pacific.