Language Universals

The Mind-Brain Debate Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (1973) mind is "the seat of consciousness, thoughts, volitions, and feelings", or "memory", brain is "taken as the seat of sensation, the organ of thought, memory, or imagination” mental - "concerned with the phenomena of mind" physical is "of or pertaining to material nature; pertaining to or connected with matter; material; opp(osite) to psychical, mental, spiritual".

Define Mind Brain Psyche Spirit Soul Monism v dualism

Emotion Sensation Emotion S.O.E.D Emotion is "a mental feeling or affection (e.g. of pain, desire, hope, etc.) as dist(inct) from cognitions or volitions"

Define Consciousness Thoughts Volitions Feelings Memory Imagination

Dualism Plato – body and soul and brain as seat of the soul Descartes’ dualism – the body is an automaton – the mind has free will - outside the realm of scientific explanation – the non-material mind functions through the pineal gland in the brain, and controls the natural animal instincts of the automaton-like body.

Materialism & Monism Ryle (1949) negation of the "ghost in the machine", a soul or mind controlling the automaton of the body Philosophical vindication of the scientific approach to psychology by the Behaviourists. The brain was a physical organ, part of the body, and the subject of physically-based analysis. Any notion of Mind - Bunge (1977) - is thus "unexplainable by science".

Animals v. humans Evolution Animals >> humans Human intelligence = different? = product of evolution?

Animal communication Konrad Lorenz ( s) – geese and ducks Frisch (1967) - 'language' of the bees Animal communication seems to evolve in the interests of survival of the species Genetic imprinting probably mutates to keep pace with changing needs Maynard Smith (1976) & Krebs (1987) show how animal signals evolve and become ritualized

Primate communication Jane Goodall - chimpanzees Dian Hussey - gorillas Experiments to train chimpanzees to use: American Sign Language Other symbol systems, for communication with the human experimenters

Innate v. acquired communication Plato and others believed that knowledge - or capacity for knowledge is innate Aristotle – Locke - Behaviourism – all knowledge acquired – ‘tabula rasa’

‘Original language’ Crystal (1971: 46-7) - examples of people who tried to discover which language children would speak spontaneously – Phrygian, in the case of Psammetichus - 7th century B.C. – Inconclusive, the children died, with Frederick II of Hohenstaufen - 13th century; – Hebrew, with James IV of Scotland - 15th century.

Innate concepts / language Sacks (1989) – ‘Seeing voices’ 18th century - Abbé de L'Epée The sign language used by the deaf in Paris Importance of deaf sign language Pidgins & Creoles

‘Wild children’ Kaspar Hauser 1828 Genie 1970 Several others over history

Innate language structure Chomsky Pinker Ideas that humans are born with a ‘grammar’ hardwired into our brains Syntax? Semantics? Ideas?

Meaning Chomsky > followers – syntax all important Cognitivists – Langacker, Jackendoff – meaning in syntax + lexicon E.g tendency for all languages to see happiness as ‘up’ and sadness as ‘down’ Lakoff – meaning in metaphors E.g- football and fighting. Love as a journey

The brain and language Brain – Wernicke’s and Broca’s areas > language areas Damásio – research into brain damage and language Damásio - ‘Descartes’ Error’ The importance of Emotion

Are we genetically pre-disposed to Have emotions? Be good or bad? Believe in God? Be selfish? Be altruistic? Live in society?

Exercises Discuss and suggest universals – Human environment – Human behaviour – Human communication – gestures – Human language Search for information on Cognition