2018 Keynote Address

2018 Keynote | Friday, November 2, 2018 | Metcalf Large | 7:45pm

How language learns: Linking universals to acquisition
Ann Senghas

Languages are highly patterned abstract systems, shared within communities of speakers. Where do their patterns come from, and why are some characteristics shared across all languages? I argue that children’s language learning abilities shape language as it is passed from one learner to the next, producing a patterned system that is highly learnable. This iterative process allows acquisition processes to progressively shape a language, but is not itself the source of structure. Rather, human learning mechanisms serve as the ecosystem in which a language evolves. These mechanisms include shared means of combining, dividing, and mapping of linguistic material. In the extreme case, where sequential generations of learners do not have access to a mature language, nonlinguistic raw materials are progressively and predictably shaped, over multiple passes through such learning mechanisms, into a rich grammatical system. The nature of the changes at each stage provides insight into the nature of the mental mechanisms shaping the language. Changes in the early stages of a newly emergent sign language in Nicaragua provide examples of such an imprint.