According to noted linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky, many linguists claim that language does not exist.
On Friday, Chomsky, a Penn alumnus, delivered a lecture titled “Should we study language? If so, how?” to a packed auditorium of over 500 people at the Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. He explained that for many linguists, there is a belief that language is merely “a constellation of factors that exist,” not an object to be studied. Chomsky proposed that language is a biological and natural object and that it should be studied “by the usual methods of the sciences.”
The event was one of two keynote addresses given at the 41st Annual Meeting of the North East Linguistic Society, which met on campus from Oct. 22 to 24. The lecture was open to the public, and a number of Penn students were in attendance.
According to Charles Yang, a professor of Linguistics and Computer Science and one of the organizers of the event, Chomsky believes we should study language as “a subcomponent of a more complex system that can be investigated in abstraction.”
To study language, Chomsky advocated analyzing the component parts of language — such as sentence structure or sound patterns — separately. He said he believes this approach is more effective than attempting to study meaning, grammar and phonetics all at once.
Chomsky argued three broad factors must be taken into account when studying language. First, he said, linguists should assess the impact of genetics on the acquisition of language in humans.
Second, they must consider the role of universal grammar as a cognitive ability, a linguistic theory advanced by Chomsky as well as others, explaining individuals are born with the ability to form certain grammatical constructions without being taught.
Finally, Chomsky said he believes linguists should take into account “the general laws of nature and how they shape the course of development and evolution” of language.
Zoe Bloom, a resident of Boston who was visiting Philadelphia for the weekend, said “it was really interesting that, as a linguist, [Chomsky] made a broad statement about what science should do.”
Jessica Walthew, a student in the College of Liberal and Professional Studies, commented that “it was welcome and refreshing.” She added that Chomsky “raised interesting, thought-provoking questions.”
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