Patterns In The Mind: Language And Human NatureWhat is it about the human mind that accounts for the fact that we can speak and understand a language? Why can't other creatures do the same? And what does this tell us about the rest of human abilities? Recent dramatic discoveries in linguistics and psychology provide intriguing answers to these age-old mysteries. In this fascinating book, Ray Jackendoff emphasizes the grammatical commonalities across languages, both spoken and signed, and discusses the implications for our understanding of language acquisition and loss. |
Contents
The argument for innate knowledge | 21 |
Overview | 39 |
Phonological structure | 53 |
Syntactic structure | 66 |
American sign language | 83 |
Evidence for the biological basis of language | 99 |
The argument for the construction of experience | 159 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
ability adult aphasia aphasics areas Argument for Innate Argument for Mental auditory behavior Broca's aphasia Broca's aphasics Broca's area Chapter child cognitive complex concepts configuration conscious creole critical period critical period hypothesis culture deaf develop encoded English environment example Expletive Infixation expressive variety fact Figure function functional words Fundamental Arguments gestures Harry hearing hemisphere home sign human nature ideal inflection Innate Knowledge input instance intuitively language acquisition language learning learners linguistic look meaning mental grammar mind musical grammar neural neurons Noam Chomsky normal noun phrase object organization Paradox of Language parallel parents past tense perception phonological structure pidgin plural possible preposition principles pronounced question Ray Jackendoff sense sentences sequence Sign Language signal social sort speak specialized speech sounds spoken language Stage syntactic structure things thought tree unconscious understand Universal Grammar utterances verb visual vocabulary vocal tract Wernicke's wh-word