LING 1010: Language and Mind Introduction

Language is fundamental to human thought, communication, and memory.
It allows sharing thoughts by giving them a recognizable form.
Linguists scientifically analyze this "magic" and how humans acquire it.Understanding the principles of linguistics not only unveils the complexities of language structure but also explores its role in cultural identity and social interactions.

Many commonly held beliefs about language have been disproven by linguistic research.
Example: The belief that "Cultures with greater technological sophistication tend to have grammatically richer languages" is false.

Two views: Language as a special biological "organ" or as an invented tool.
If language were an invented tool, one might expect a correlation between a culture's technology and its linguistic sophistication.
An "experiment of nature" with the Papua New Guinea Highlanders (isolated for millennia, varying material culture) showed they spoke hundreds of grammatically sophisticated languages.
Conclusion: There is no correlation between a group's material culture and the sophistication of their language. Language is considered a part of human biology, not a cultural invention.

Language: The inherent knowledge enabling construction of meaningful expressions.
Speech: An auditory mode of sharing language via vocal sounds (not universal; deaf communities use sign language).
Writing: A visual mode of sharing language via (semi-)permanent marks; a cultural invention.
All human groups possess language, and have for as long as humans have existed, whereas writing is a relatively recent and rare invention in human history.
Children naturally acquire language but require explicit instruction for reading and writing.