Summary of Steven Pinker's The Language Instinct

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview:#1 Verbal communication is not just limited to words, but also includes body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions. These are all things that we can communicate with others through language.

#2 The author will be discussing the science of language, which has progressed greatly in the past few decades.

#3 The idea that language is a cultural invention rather than a biological one has become popular recently. But the truth is that language is an instinct, developed in children without any conscious effort or formal education, and it is the same in every individual.

#4 The idea that language is an instinct is a modern one, and has been criticized for anthropomorphizing the language process.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Feb 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669346616

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Insights on Steven Pinker's The Language Instinct

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 13

Insights from Chapter 14

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Verbal communication is not just limited to words, but also includes body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions. These are all things that we can communicate with others through language.

#2

The author will be discussing the science of language, which has progressed greatly in the past few decades.

#3

The idea that language is a cultural invention rather than a biological one has become popular recently. But the truth is that language is an instinct, developed in children without any conscious effort or formal education, and it is the same in every individual.

#4

The idea that language is an instinct is a modern one, and has been criticized for anthropomorphizing the language process.

#5

The fact that humans have an instinctual tendency to acquire language, while other animals do not, shows that language is not instinctual for humans, but rather a product of our intellect.

#6

The idea that language is an instinct has been around for a long time, and it stems from the fact that humans are able to learn new languages so quickly.

#7

Chomsky believes that humans acquire specific cognitive structures as a result of their environment, and not because of their innate make-up. He argues that the Standard Social Science Model – which states that people are shaped by their culture – is completely false.

#8

The author will discuss in this book how human language is a part of human biology, an instinct.

#9

When Michael Leahy first encountered the highlanders in 1930, they were jabbering away in an unknown language.

#10

While many cultures have complex languages, no society has a language as complex as ours. The fact that language is so complex suggests that it must be innate to human beings.

Insights from Chapter 2

#1

The people whose linguistic abilities are least appreciated are the ones living closest to us. They speak the most natural, easy-to-understand language.

#2

The belief that non-standard dialects of English are deficient in grammar is widespread. It stems from the idea that people from underprivileged backgrounds don’t have good grammar, when in reality, it’s simply because they don’t have good vocabulary.

#3

The author met a man named Larry, who spoke in a Black English dialect. Larry’s grammar and vocabulary were surprisingly sophisticated, and he used complex theological arguments.

#4

The fact that human languages are so complex proves that they must be innate, since humans have to communicate regardless of whether they know how to speak or not.

#5

The fact that all humans are capable of speaking multiple languages does not mean that everyone has the ability to speak a specific language. Children, when left to their own devices, will make up their own language if they’re exposed to enough of it from a young age. This is called a pidgin and can eventually turn into a full-fledged language if left to grow on its own.

#6

The Hawaiian Creole created by the children of Japanese immigrants is a good example of how creolization can change a language. The Hawaiian Creole is not a true language, but it has changed the way the Japanese immigrants’ descendants speak.

#7

The author argues that creoles are a window into the brain’s innate grammatical machinery, and that many of the world’s creoles exhibit uncanny similarities in grammar.

#8

Until recently, there were no sign languages in Nicaragua due to the isolation of its deaf community. However, as