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1.The innateness
Hypothesis
2.How languages
process in the
brain?
3.Important areas in
brain for language
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White plain
brain or innate
blueprint
brain?
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1. The innateness Hypothesis
 Known
as the founder of ‘Transformational Generative
grammar’, Noam Chomsky’s theories were first
introduced in the 1950s.
 Born
on Dec 7th 1928 to well educated parents,
Chomsky’s interest for Grammar is justified. His love for
Hebrew and its grammar came from learning it from his
father William Chomsky at a very young age.
 Before
Chomsky , linguistic study focused mainly on
performance (how people spoke). But after his arrival
into the field of linguistics brain became an important
aspect in language study.
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The
first step of Chomsky getting into
the field of language study started when
he took up the concept of Plato’s
problem or poverty of stimulus which
means-‘when the input is so meager why
is the output so large?’.
This
led him to discover the concept
‘innateness hypothesis’ which says that
humans are born with the ability of
acquiring language. We have LAD that
helps in the acquisition process.
LAD
is ‘Language Acquisition Device’
situated in the left hemisphere of the
brain.
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Universal
Grammar- Chomsky is
the founder of the opinion that
every child is born with Universal
grammar which helps the child to
acquire the Language.
Universal
grammar
contains
principles and parameters.
Principles
are those which are
common in all the languages of the
world and parameters are those
which differ from one language to
another.
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Jack went up the hill
Who went up the hill?
Jack and Jill went up the hill
Who went up the hill?
Jack and Jill went home
Jack and who went home?
Jill ate strawberries and ice cream
Jill ate what?
Jill ate strawberries and ice cream
Jill ate strawberries and what?
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How can one explain the
ease, rapidity and
uniformity of language
acquisition in the face of
impoverished data?
( they do not start from scratch )
( UG helps them to extract the
rules )
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White plain
brain or innate
blueprint
brain?
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2. Neurolinguistics:
1. How languages process in the
brain?
2. Important areas in brain for
language.
Neurolinguistics
is the study of
the relationship between
language and brain.
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GREEN
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RED
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ORANGE
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YELLOW
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BLACK
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WHITE
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PURPLE
The human brain:
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The
parts
of
the
brain:
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The localization view:
The word is heard and
comprehended via Wernicke’s
area. This signal is then transferred
via the arcuate fasciculus to Broca’s
area where preparations are made
to produce it. A signal then is sent
to part of the motor cortex to
physically articulate the word.
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Speech Errors:
1. The tips of the tongue
( you know the word )
2. Slips of the tongue
black bloxes
make a long shory stor
a tup of tea
beel fetter
* slip of the brain as it tries to organize
linguistic messages
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=3D33ccVnbHY
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Aphasia:
An
impairment of
language function due to
localized brain damage
that leads to difficulty in
understanding and/or
producing linguistic
forms
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 1. Broca’s
aphasia:
 Production
I
eggs and eat and drink coffee breakfast
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2IiMEbMnPM
 2. Wernicke's
aphasia:
 Comprehension
I

can’t talk all of the things I do
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKTdMV6cOZw
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References:

Chapter 13 ( the study of language )

Chapter 8 ( An Introduction to Language )
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Assignment
Prepare a conversation with
your classmate that includes
slips and tips of the tongue. Be
ready to read it aloud in class
next week.