text_combined: lg species language species discussion recurred week already prepared following think would general enough interest recurrent misunderstandings innateness human language publish list since last posting language species discussion received interesting comments checked reference mind since copy reference volume called speaking apes critical anthology two way communication man eds sebeok jean umiker sebeok ny plenum press 1980 chomsky article human language semiotic systems pp 42940 chomsky article pretty much remembered great many observations nature human language characteristic concept human language contrast animal psychologists time taught apes perhaps even thought teaching e g potentially infinite embedding phrases within phrases beyond challenges notion human language merely primarily system social communication serves notion inappropriateness comparing human language animal systems communication drawing conclusions evolution human language may also imply strictly human device interpreting external stimuli thinking incidentally rereading article changed earlier impression chomsky lacked grace explicitly acknowledging accomplishments discoveries animal psychologists perception explicitness would irrelevant distracting points wanted make course could nt help activating involuntary visceral hostility researchers accused lack logic arguments another matter interesting final position regardless apes may prove capable learning saw evidence qualitative distinction human ape natural intellectual endowment fact humans acquire syntactic properties language without even possibility explicit teaching apes obviously despite evolutionary advantages c phrase would bestow particularly liked last sentence following passage difficult imagine children learning english receive specific instruction matters even provided relevant experience fact find children make many errors language learning never make mistakes never assume corrected candidates wanted vote means candidate wanted vote fact relevant experience never presented speakers english pedagogic grammar would ever point facts p 432 tell truth nt get error example maybe never corrected get point point anaphoric reference mentioned last posting though think passage trying rely point syntactic embedding anaphora type common time among generativists cf parallel reflexive candidate wanted vote unstressed case one might argue would anthropocentric bias inherent chomsky perspective evolutionary advantage human language would suppose stemming think evolutionary tenet whatever promotes indefinite increase population species evolutionary advantage since supposed maximise chance least members species survive continue reproduction species guess objection might sense apes know something nt know makes shy away retaining developing something like human language e g technological advances allowed human social organization motivation facilitated language eventually lead extinction notion would probably evoked rhetorical sympathy mid 1980s fear nuclear holocaust peaked persistently less clearly malthusian notion uncontrolled human population increase puts dangerous pressure ecological support system doubt objection chance taken seriously form given least scientific spirit imagine unimaginable human society human society came conclusion rejected human language ultimately threatening species even would guess innateness hypothesis would predict humans would still able help learning manifesting language manifesting learning future generations would contribute eventual extinction bad nothing evolutionary theory prevents defective aberrations arising species would simply arise disappear relatively quickly however sure humans constitutionally incapable seeing human language faculty injurious aberration cant worst see possible means salvation jeopardy sinister instincts may placed us forgive even inventing consider idle repulsive speculation think throws relief might inferred assessing chomsky ultimate argument understand simple summation chomsky argument apes capable learning human language nt naturally like people probably interesting arguable list discussion chomsky point distinguishing human language language chomsky sees human language subject scientific inquiry properties quite specific including syntactic properties reference embedding etc familiar current linguists contrast understanding article sees language nonscientific concept something vague even promising potential scientific field inquiry vein concedes apes many animals may fact doubt make use symbolic systems semiotic systems apparently comparable principle lexical component language way though less extensive understand less discrete linguistic sense discrete supposes symbolic systems animals may related shared intellectual capacities humans animals humans interact distinctive linguistic capacities among latter suppose way lexicon fills abstract linguistic categories grammatical derivations illustrative passage p 437 objects gardners characterisation teaching apes use ameslan lexical signs teaching ameslan human language way considers acquisition sign trivial respect comparison human language nt suppose meant detract recognition apes ability grasp logical operation human definition recognition irrelevant appreciation distinctive human language well least know logical concept distinctive humans concept plural probably nt either problematic concept dual far know apes taught count hey last time looked three identical rubber ducks two sum chomsky specific singleminded notion human language allows immediately see claims animal manifestations language earlier allowed criticise condemn skinner notions nature human language think usual difficulty seeing point much persistence linguistic debate whether extent autonomous syntax valid notion let get intuitive notion among linguists well everybody else lexicon major part human language certainly part chomsky associates distinctive innate human faculty language rather innate faculty somewhere systems organise combinations signs somewhere crucial whether evolutionary discontinuity human language animal potentials language course another source resistance idea innate human language faculty generalised sneaking suspicion anything proposes set humans apart animals fundamental way selfdeluding anthropocentric self aggrandising propaganda cf discredited think argument heliocentric theory solar system humans center creation therefore location must pivot material universe sneaking suspicions certainly appropriate issues bring something informal ling list discussion clear fits formal scientific argument misguided source resistance would idea floated kant innate discussion theory something innate killer attempts explanation killer explanation way things contrary take would nothing explain way things get confused scientists know things explanations hypotheses test things way think forgot context kant discussion explanation context pure reason would practical reason suppose whatever aids remembering facts sufficient explanation finally message massimo piattelli palmarini director dept cognitive science istituto san raffaele milan alerted among discussion comparisons human ape cognition relevant language capacity truly definitive piece mark seidenberg laura petitto cognition vol 7 1979 pp 177215 although article published volume referred recent papers published volume fully discuss glancing references papers still nt read yet even read articles sebeok volume incidentally massimo reminded apes indeed found able recognise reflections mirrors monkeys think read roger fout popular book teaching apes communicate humans came late 70s gather animal psychologists etc longer hostile idea discontinuity human language animals capable remain interested discovering animals capable might suggest human evolution benji