u07d2 Language and the Human Experience

Steven Pinker, a well-known Harvard cognitive scientist, remarks that "[l]anguage is so tightly
woven into human experience that it is scarcely possible to imagine life without it" (p. 3). What
do you think life would be like if humans lost (or never had) the capacity to acquire language?
Use points from the text readings to support your comments.

Please answer the discussion question by (1) referring to and integrating ideas presented in the
text and any supplemental readings; (2) citing outside resources if necessary to make your point;
and (3) following APA style guidelines for citations and references.

You will be evaluated on how well you can demonstrate that you understand the ideas presented
throughout the unit, including assigned readings, discussions, and independent investigations.
You will also be evaluated on the quality of your workits academic rigor, how well it shows
your ability to think critically, and how completely it covers the questions asked.

Response Guidelines

Respond to at least one other learner in a manner that advances the discussion in a meaningful
way. Your response is expected to be substantive in nature and reference the assigned readings,
as well as other theoretical, empirical or professional literature to support your views and
writings. Reference your sources using standard APA guidelines.

Reference

Pinker, S. (2000). Language instinct: How the mind creates language. New York,
NY: HarperCollins.

In her book, Moon Tiger, Penelope Lively (2005) succinctly purports that language acquisition
and social learning constitute a ubiquitous and significant correlation in human development
with her quote: Language tethers us to the world; without it we spin like atoms. Indeed, from a
childs first utterance, there is little doubt that the capacity to understand and use language is
vital to cognitive learning and social interaction. Vygotsky (1978) concurred by stating, The
specifically human capacity for language enables children to provide for auxiliary tools for
solution of difficult tasks, to overcome impulsive action, to plan a solution to a problem prior to
its execution, and to master their own behavior.

What would it be like for a child who lost or never had the ability for normative language
acquisition? Consider the case of the bird-boy (BBFIR, 2008). In 2008, Russian care
workers rescued a seven-year-old boy who could only communicate by chirping after his
mother raised him in a virtual aviary. He was found living in a tiny two-room apartment
surrounded by cages containing dozens of birds, bird feed and droppings. The boy was a victim
of serial neglect and abuse, and treated like a pet bird by his 31-year-old mother who never once
spoke to him. Consequently, he did not understand human language at all, but communicated
instead by chirping and flapping his arms.

This boy is an example of a feral child, which is a human child who has been isolated from
human contact from a very young age with little or no experience involving human social
interaction and language acquisition. The question remains: How much did a lack of human
language acquisition control the development of his cognitive neurological architecture of
perceptual memory, fluid intelligence as well as his ability to manipulate linguistic and semantic
mental representations?

According to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (Sternberg & Sternberg, 2012, p. 404), our thoughts are
linguistically determined by our use of language and those who speak different languages
inevitably develop variable worldviews and perceptibility. Sternberg & Sternberg (2012, p. 404)
reject this deterministic approach that language controls thought for a more moderate position
that language may certainly influence thought and the way we perceive the world. According
to the report above, the so-called bird boy retained a limited innate ability to reason, but
psychiatric examination determined his human language impairment significantly contributed to
comorbid psychopathological behavior.

Cohen (2001) suggests that severe language impairment correlates with social and emotional
disorders, a dysfunctional theory of mind, and an inadequate pragmatic knowledge of social
rules. Moreover, despite the high rate of severe language impairment in studies of children in
mental health treatment programs, language impairment is not given proper protocol as a
significant contributor to psychopathological disorders (e.g. depression, childhood
schizophrenia).

Can we predict low level fluid intelligence from language deprivation? Christensen (2001)
posits that language is localized in the region surrounding the Sylvian fissure of the left
hemisphere of the brain called the language zone through an innate and neurological
specialization process. Therefore, language acquisition is dependent on predisposed innate
neural plasticity. According to Christensen (2001), children with severe language impairment
(e.g. Brocas aphasia) in language comprehension and production demonstrate a double
dissociation between language acquisition and general intelligence. This seems to suggest that
general intelligence may be affected by a lack of language acquisition; however language is
generally independent of intelligence.

In conclusion, loss of language acquisition would significantly affect the quality of life over the
life span. Moreover, research indicates that severe language deprivation results in
psychopathological social and emotional disorders and has a significant impact on future
cognitive development (Cohen, 2001; Christensen, 2001). However, while a loss of language
acquisition appears to negatively influence the relative development of general intelligence and
perceptibility, there appears to be a significant degree of modularity between innate language
acquisition and these constructs.

Anthony Rhodes
General Psychology PhD.

References

Bird boy found in Russia. (2008, February 28). Retrieved from

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/857046/Bird-boy-found-in-Russia.html

Christensen, K. R. (2001). Language impairment, neurology and linguistic theory. (Masters

Thesis). Available from http://www.hum.au.dk/engelsk/engkrc/Papers/krc-ma.pdf.

Cohen, N. (2001). Language impairment and psychopathology in infants, children, and

adolescents. Sage Publications.

Lively, Penelope. (2005). World Encyclopedia.. Retrieved May 24, 2012 from
Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-LivelyPenelope.html

Sternberg, R. J., & Sternberg, K. (2012). Cognitive psychology (6th ed.). Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth Cengage Learning. ISBN 9781133313915

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind and society. Cambridge MA. MIT Press.