23. Language

(May 21, 2010) Professor Robert Sapolsky gives a lecture on language. He describes the similarities and differences between different human and animal languages. He focuses on how we use language to communicate with each other, how we communicate with animals, and how animals commute with each other.

Stanford University:
http://www.stanford.edu/

Stanford Department of Biology:
http://biology.stanford.edu/

Stanford University Channel on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/stanford

• Category

  Education

[TheFifthGreatApe]

The 'biology of religion'? You have to post that one!!

[wolfumz]

i wish the biology of religion video was taped :{

[Ken MacMillan]

Nice but it would be better if it were up to date.

[Ken MacMillan]

I really want to hear the lecture on the biology of religion.

[theyangist]

Motherese isn't a universal among languages.

[alhazmif]

I think you misunderstood what he means. For inner-language level (inside the language itself), for some languages at least, all words have logical roots and they are produced in a very systematic way, Arabic among these ones. But for outer level, between languages, words seem arbitrary in terms of their relation with objects, otherwise we won't have many different words for one object, they must be uniformed among all languages, but that is not the case. I hope my point makes sense :D

[george papadopoulos]

what he said doesnt apply to greek language because all words have totally logical roots from real life and are NOT random and meaningless mixtures of letters as usually in english words for example...

[Mirza Cengic]

watch?v=4WwAQqWUkpI

[Jimmy Jim]

Isn't it such an insult that they didn't? It was for sure on purpose, because we clearly, as a society, can't handle it!

[Hellsconsort]

'Past your eyes' sounds like 'pasteurize'. As in: Pasteurized milk.