Language and Thought

Catalog description

The basic goal of the course is to understand the nature of language and how it relies on cognitive mechanics to express thought. This question can be unpacked into a series of more specific questions. What is unique about human language? What is unique about human thought? What are the genetic, physiological, and social bases for language? How did language evolve? How does the brain process language? What causes language impairments? How do children learn language? How do people learn second languages? Are there language universals? How and why do languages change over time? What are the relations between language and thought? What are the relations between language and gesture? What are the practical consequences of understanding these issues? How can machines be taught to use language? What can we learn from machines that process language? There are two major approaches to these issues: the established theory of Universal Grammar and the newer theory of Emergentism. We will review both, but we will elaborate the newer approach in more detail.