There is no language instinct There is no language instinct

• Main Author: Geoffrey Sampson
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina 2008-10-01
• Series: Ilha do Desterro
• Subjects: language acquisition; linguistic nativism; grammar
• Online Access: http://www.periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/desterro/article/view/8076

This paper examines Steve Pinker’s arguments for the existence of a language instinct encoded in the genes of human beings as an explanation for the human language capacity. The analysis covers Pinker’s own arguments as well as those by Chomsky and by other authors in the nineties. All arguments in favour of a biologically-governed language
 capacity are refuted to show that, according to available evidence, there is no language instinct. The alternative view, namely, that language is a cultural artefact learned on the basis of a general capacity to formulate and test hypotheses, must be thus the best approach to understand language acquisition. This paper examines Steve Pinker’s arguments for the existence of a language instinct encoded in the genes of human beings as an explanation for the human language capacity. The analysis covers Pinker’s own arguments as well as those by Chomsky and by other authors in the nineties. All arguments in favour of a biologically-governed language
 capacity are refuted to show that, according to available evidence, there is no language instinct. The alternative view, namely, that language is a cultural artefact learned on the basis of a general capacity to formulate and test hypotheses, must be thus the best approach to understand language acquisition.