Modularity and Nativism
by Anna Bromely
1. Language All sentences must have a -Subject -Verb -Object Nouns, verbs and adjective are all defined in terms of each other. Picture theory of language - propositions are just pictures of facts.
2. Arguments Mathews - What is the non-nat alternative to language acquisition?Response is learning inductive and statistical learning algorithms Neither side has a knock down argument
2.1. Further arguments for nativism 1. Universality - Never found a language that is not grammatically rich BUT this doesn't prove innateness 2. Creolisation - Creole is developed from Pidgin
2.2. Alternatives to nativism Goodman - The Epistemological argument Cowie - Enlightened empiricism
2.3. Dissociations due to impairments Pinker's example of Broca's aphasia and William's syndrome, suggests language evolves innate module associated with specific part of brain
3. Other anti-POS arguments 1. Innate ideas is incoherent 2. The POS argument is just a what else argument 3. Presupposes representational theory of mind 4. POS could apply too generally. e.g curry
3.1. Replies 1. RTM provides good understanding of innate ideas 2. What els arguments are common in science 3. Nativism presupposes RTM, which is evidence for RTM - Fodor 4. The curry analogy misses the point
4. Modularity of Mind and Nativism go together as they suppose there are innate modules that explain cognition and learning.
5. Empiricism Contents of the mind come from experience Nativism There must be innate domain-specific structures first. (Pinker's position) Language acquisition - Nat = innate linguistic module and NonNat =experience in trial and error
6. Skinner - 'the charles darwin of science' - Stimuli develop into habits Poverty of the Stimulus POS - Chomsky's reply - A strong form of Nativism PLD 'Primary linguistic data' insufficient to acquire knowledge. To learn from impoverished data then the learners must have 'some domain specific knowledge'. Chomsky proposes UG Universal Grammar - Knowledge of grammatical rules. UG cannot be inferred from PLD. Uses the unicorn sentence example The non naturalist would say that we understand notion of number 5 by its absence (trial and error) Foder was a non-natavist - he denied POS. Nativists hold the burden of proof to prove the stimulus is impoverished.
