The Genetics of Language Essay Example For Students

The Genetics of Language Essay -ildar- The tabula of human nature was never rasa. W.D. Hamilton Language is defined as the Communication of thoughts and feelings through a system of arbitrary signals, such as voice sounds, gestures, or written symbols. Yet this alone cannot sum up the importance and vastness of this magnificent gift human own. Language is one of the most amazing features of human culture and personality; its roots have remained unchanged since the start of civilization. It is the basis of all communication in the world and in its best is the most complex form of expression. Language has always been assumed to be blatantly cultural lying at the heart of human social evolution, but this could not be farther from the truth. Language owes as much to instinct and innateness as it does to culture. Darwin once described language as an instinctive tendency to acquire an art; this view of language was re-revealed to the world through Noam Chomsky, in his book, Syntactic Structures. Chomsky argued that language is shaped through culture, but the underlying ability to learn and understand it, is innately built into the human psyche. We will write a custom essay on The Genetics of Language specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Chomsky concluded that there were obvious underlying similarities in all languages, bearing witness to a Universal Human Grammar. We always use this ability to learn and use language, but we are not consciously aware of it. Vocabulary cannot be innate, because if it were were, we would all speak one, unvarying language. But lets take for example, a child; as it learns vocabulary, innate mental rules tell that child how to properly use that vocabulary. Lets take, for instance the sentence, Sa mmy will buy groceries from the store. You can turn that sentence into a question by moving the will to the front, making the sentence, Will Sammy buy groceries from the store. Young children can comfortably use this rule, even though never having been taught about the grammar involved in making a sentence like that, they just seem to know the rule. As psycholinguist Steven Pinker put it, to learn a human language, requires a human language instinct. Language is not learned through imitation; if it were then why would children who have been using the word went for a year or so, start saying goed. The truth is that children start learning to speak themselves, at a much younger age regardless of our help. Children are a large part of developing a language; this was shown in a famous experiment conducted by Derek Bickerton. In the experiment Bickerton studied a group of foreign workers that were brought together on Hawaii. In Hawaii they developed a pidgin language (mixture of words and phrases allowing for simple communication) so that they could easily communicate with each other. The language lacked consistent grammatical rules and complex but simple in what it could express. This changes as a new generation of children learned the language, they shaped it and innately gave it rules and grammar, making it more complex and turning it into a Creole. If this instinct is genetic then it would seem that the language gene might turn off as we age and minimize our ability to learn languages which explains while people find it hard to learn a language after a certain age. Scientists think they have identified the gene for language. They have located it on chromosome seven. This gene gives the brain the ability to understand and learn underlying rules of grammar. When the gene or parts of the brain are damaged language disorders sometimes develop. One such disorder is Williams Syndrome, which is caused by a mutation in a gene on chromosome 11. Affected children have very low intelligence, but have an addiction to using language. They constantly ramble, using very rich and long words, long sentences and complex syntax. But besides this the child is mentally retarded and cannot comprehend anything outside their form of silent language. .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 , .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 .postImageUrl , .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 , .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974:hover , .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974:visited , .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974:active { border:0!important; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974:active , .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974 .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u070af78d47632631f08c9328ea936974:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Essay on The Consequences of Hurricane Katrina Essay Parts of the brain, when damaged can also hinder language ability. Damage to the Wernickes area of the brain. People with Wernickes disorder produce a rich but senseless stream of words, so you can conclude that the Wernickes area of the brain instructs the brain what speech to generate. Brocas aphasia occurs .

Quotes From The Notebook

Quotes From The Notebook The movie The Notebook is an adaptation of the novel by the same title. This romantic story is told by an old man, Duke, reading to an old woman in a nursing home. The  emotional roller coaster ride of the movie makes us laugh and cry along with the lead characters, Allie and Noah, who fall in love but are separated by her parents. Years later Allie meets a wealthy soldier, Lon, and becomes engaged to him. When Noah returns, she has to choose between the two men. These quotes from The Notebook focus on the miraculous power of love. Duke   It was an improbable romance. He was a country boy. She was from the city. She had the world at her feet while he didnt have two dimes to rub together.Look guys †¦ thats my sweetheart in there. Im not leaving her. This is my home now. Your mother is my home.He [Noah] got the notion into his head that if he restored the old house where they had come that night, Allie would find a way to come back to him. Some called it a labor of love. Others called it something else. But in fact, Noah had gone a little mad.I am no one special. Just a common man with common thoughts. Ive led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but in one respect Ive succeeded as gloriously as anyone who ever lived. Ive loved another with all my heart and soul and for me that has always been enough. Young Noah   Now you know that I want to give you everything you want. But I cant  because theyre  gone... Theyre broken.Its not going to be easy. Its going to be really hard. And were going to have to work on this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, you and me. Noah The best love is the kind that awakens the soul; that makes us reach for more, that plants the fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. Thats what I hope to give you forever.I wrote you 365 letters. I wrote you every day for a year. It wasnt over ... it still isnt over.Stop thinking about what I want, what he wants, what your parents want. What do you want?   Allie I want a white house with blue shutters and a room overlooking the river so I can paint.Do you think our love can make miracles?It was real, wasnt it? You and me. Such a long time ago, we were just a couple of kids. But we really loved each other, didnt we?   Allies father Well, in theory, were both millionaires, but in reality, we live with a bunch of whores. Allies Fiancà ©Ã‚   The way I see it, I got three choices. One, I can shoot him. Two, I can kick the crap out of him. Or three, I leave you. Well, all thats no good. You see, cause none of those options gets me you.  [about Noah]