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Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
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The origin of language properties can be understood by examining children

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Area of Science:

  • Linguistics
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • The origin of human language is a complex question involving both biological and cultural evolution.
  • Distinguishing between linguistically evolved properties is challenging.
  • Homesign, a gestural communication system developed by deaf children without language models, offers insights.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolutionary origins of language properties.
  • To differentiate between biologically and culturally evolved linguistic traits.

Main Methods:

  • Analyzing the properties of homesign systems created by deaf children.
  • Comparing homesign properties to those found in natural human languages.

Main Results:

  • Homesign systems exhibit many, but not all, properties of natural language.
  • Properties present in homesign are candidates for biological evolution.
  • Properties absent in homesign are candidates for cultural evolution.

Conclusions:

  • Homesign provides a model for understanding the biologically innate components of language.
  • The study distinguishes between innate linguistic universals and culturally transmitted language features.