The Language Instinct

The Language Instinct
Author	Steven Pinker
Language	English
Subject	Linguistics, Evolutionary psychology
Publisher	William Morrow and Company
Pub date	1994
Pages	494
Isbn	0-688-12141-1
Oclc	28723210
Dewey	401
Congress	P106 .P476 1994

The Language Instinct. It is a 1994 book by the cognitive scientist Steven Pinker, which argues that humans possess an innate, biological capacity for language. The work synthesizes ideas from Noam Chomsky's theory of universal grammar with principles from evolutionary biology to propose that language is a complex adaptation shaped by natural selection. Pinker contends that language is not a cultural invention but an instinct, analogous to a spider's ability to spin a web, wired into the human brain by evolution.

Overview and central thesis

The book's central argument is that the faculty for language is a human instinct, a distinct piece of the biological makeup of our brains. Pinker positions this view against the standard social science model, which often treats language as a purely cultural artifact. He draws heavily on the nativist framework of Noam Chomsky, particularly the concept of a universal grammar, which posits an underlying mental structure common to all human languages. Pinker integrates this with the perspective of evolutionary psychology, suggesting that this universal grammar evolved through natural selection to solve specific communication problems faced by our ancestors. The thesis is presented as a synthesis of cognitive science, linguistics, and Darwinian theory, challenging the blank slate view of the mind popularized by thinkers like John Locke.

Evidence from language acquisition

Pinker marshals extensive evidence from child language acquisition to support the instinct theory. He highlights the speed and uniformity with which children master their native tongue, despite the "poverty of the stimulus"—the notion that the linguistic input children receive is insufficient to explain the complexity of the grammar they deduce. Observations of children in diverse cultures, from those learning English in Boston to Tzotzil in Chiapas, show predictable stages of development. The phenomenon of overregularization, where children apply rules like adding "-ed" to form past tense, producing errors like "goed," is presented as evidence for rule-based, innate grammatical processing rather than mere imitation. This developmental trajectory is contrasted with the immense difficulty of acquiring language after the critical period, as studied by researchers like Eric Lenneberg.

Evidence from creoles and pidgins

The book points to the development of creole languages from pidgins as a natural experiment revealing the language instinct. Pinker discusses the work of Derek Bickerton, who studied Hawaiian Pidgin English and the creole that developed among children, Hawaiian Creole English. Pidgins are simplified, rudimentary contact languages with minimal grammar, but when children are exposed to them, they rapidly systematize and expand them into full, complex creoles with consistent rules. This process, observed in places like Papua New Guinea with Tok Pisin and in the Caribbean with languages like Jamaican Patois, suggests children are not just learning language but imposing an innate grammatical structure onto the linguistic input, effectively creating a new language in a single generation.

Evidence from sign language and language disorders

Further evidence comes from the study of sign language, particularly American Sign Language (ASL), which exhibits all the grammatical complexity of spoken languages. Pinker notes that deaf children not exposed to a formal sign language, like those studied by Judy Kegl in Nicaragua, will spontaneously develop their own systematic sign systems. The book also examines language disorders for insights into the brain's modular organization. The selective impairment of language in conditions like Specific Language Impairment and aphasia, such as the case of the celebrated patient "Tan" studied by Paul Broca, suggests dedicated neural circuits. The preservation of linguistic competence in individuals with Williams syndrome, despite severe intellectual deficits, is presented as evidence for the independence of the language faculty.

The nature of linguistic knowledge

Pinker delves into what constitutes linguistic knowledge, arguing it is an unconscious, computational system of rules. He uses examples from English syntax, such as the formation of questions and the structure of phrases, to illustrate the complex, rule-governed nature of this tacit knowledge. This mental grammar is contrasted with prescriptive rules taught in school. The discussion extends to the phonology of speech sounds and the morphology of word formation, showing how the mind automatically parses a continuous stream of sound into discrete symbols. This computational theory of mind is linked to the work of Marvin Minsky and the field of artificial intelligence, framing language as a kind of instinctual software running on the hardware of the brain.

Criticisms and related debates

The book's ideas have sparked significant debate within academia. Critics from the fields of functional linguistics and connectionism, such as Michael Tomasello and the late B. F. Skinner, have challenged the strong nativist position, arguing for greater roles of social learning and general cognitive processes. Some anthropologists and sociologists question the universality of certain linguistic concepts. Debates also persist regarding the evolutionary timeline and mechanisms, with scholars like Stephen Jay Gould expressing skepticism about the adaptationist program. Furthermore, the relationship between language and thought, engaging the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis, remains a contentious area, with Pinker largely arguing against strong linguistic determinism in favor of a universal mentalese.

Category:1994 non-fiction books Category:Books by Steven Pinker Category:Linguistics books Category:Evolutionary psychology books