Steven Pinker on Noam Chomsky's theory of Linguistics & Politics (Part 1)

Steven Pinker reflects on his admiration and disagreements with Noam Chomsky. Full interview: http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/160/

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Steven
• Pinker
• Noam
• Chomsky
• Linguistics
• Philosophy
• Language
• Anarchism

[bobloblawrobslawblog]

@Diosibundo So I presume you've failed to read The Language Instinct or have misunderstood the merits of Pinker and his relationship with Chomsky. The argument that Pinker is making is one you're simply repeating in your comment: "the child doesn't need to know it, he just hears the verb used and instantly assimilates it, even if he doesn't know why." Yep, Pinker argues for that: Language is innate, but no child consciously realizes that "ran" is processed as "rin." Chomsky thinks they do

[vigilverse2]

@mightyafrowhitey i think i know what you meant, and my opinion is that the languages that english borrowed from have incredibly less ambiguity than english, so i believe that at some point (maybe during old english years) rin was used instead and the phonology changed at some point for some reason. second, the rin ran run thing is not like a debate between the two guys, its just an example pinker is trying to use as a devils advocate but what im saying is that its moot cus its not syntax

[expressexpose]

@minzhide

I find your comment insulting.

[DerEchteSenf]

Wow a Steven Pinker video on youtube with broken volume. Thank god that almost never happens.

[the1musiclad]

@minzhide - I agree. I've seen what he's like in a discussion.

[i2v2s]

Yes Data driven analysis. Truth is to be sought in does and doesn't.

Science: On Chomsky's Appraisal of Skinner's Verbal Behavior: A Half Century of Misunderstanding

[minzhide]

Somebody needs to get this boy a vowel chart.

[minzhide]

Somebody needs to get this boy a vowel chart. He doesn't know wtf he's talking about.

[minzhide]

@the1musiclad He doesn't really argue at all. If you've ever tried talking to him about anything you'd realize that his tactics are more akin to bullying when he thinks he can, and simply disengaging from the subject (often by simply claiming that whatever you're saying is 'irrelevant') when he doesn't.

[minzhide]

@minzhide When variety in language complexity is tested for, it's found, contrary to Chomsky. When variety in language form is tested for, it's found, contrary to Chomsky. When poverty of stimulus occurs it creates greater variety in grammars, not less, contrary to Chomsky. A number of languages, Salishan languages in particular, permit well formed sentences w/o internally specified predicates, contrary to all of formal linguistics, including Chomsky. It's hardly science by any stretch.

[minzhide]

@i2v2s ^_^ Put more simply, any real linguist knows that the data never points to what Nativists believe. Quite the contrary, you have to have the belief first, then ignore all the data that doesn't agree with you... which is nearly all of it.

[mintun122]

không hỉu gì hết!!! =))