Chomskian Linguistics

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes chapter 13 of Daniel Dennett's book "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" which speaks on the evolution of language. The paper discusses how the book presents a lengthy discussion of many opposing arguments to language creation based on Darwin's theory of evolution. The paper shows how Dennett particularly focuses on Noam Chomsky's refutation of the existence or involvement of Darwinism ideas on language creation. Dennett's position asserts that language has evolved because of the many processes organisms, particularly human beings, had experienced. - based on Darwin's popular "natural selection process."

From the Paper:

"After Dennett has presented his position in the first part of the chapter, he shifted the book's discussion to the opposing arguments of philosophers and scientists about the creation of language. Dennett particularly focused on Noam Chomsky's ideas and theories on how language was created. The main argument presented by Noam Chomsky against the Darwinian theory-based evolution of language is that " language didn't really evolve but just rather suddenly arrived, an inexplicable gift, at best a by-product of the enlargement of the human brain." Chomsky presented his argument based on the "adaptations" that the human brain had undergone, later developing what Chomsky termed as "specialized organ" solely functioning to facilitate language and its processes. Chomskian Linguistics centers on "language learning", or the learning of language through a set of rules already set in human minds. This set of rules came from the "specialized organ" of language faculty Chomsky has formulated, and is labeled as the "Universal Grammar." "

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