January 29, 2001

The readings for this class were:

• Whitney, Preface, Chapter 1
• Hand Signals by MacNeilage, Studdert-Kennedy, Lindblom (on reserve)
• Co-evolution of Neocortex Size, Group Size, and Language in Humans by Dunbar (on reserve)
• Pointing Primates: Sharing Knowledge Without Language by Frans B. M. de Waal, January 19, 2001, The Chronicle of Higher Education.

The outline for the class is:

1. Announcements
2. Definitions of language
   • "species-specific" communication system
   • biological communication system specialized for the transmission of meaningful information between and within persons by means of linguistic signs
3. Discussion (small group) of Hockett's characteristics
   • Hockett's Design Features
4. Discussion of three articles (whole class) based around
   • continuity v. discontinuity
   • powerful general capacity v. modules
   and including the notion that another use for language is to be able to handle that which we cannot perceive.
   • The Eye of Horus
   • What is Richter Magnitude?
5. Discussion of Marr's Levels of Representation with Tic-Tac-Toe as an example to be analyzed within this context.
   • Marr's Levels of Analysis
   • Tinker Toy Computer and the full image created by Daniel Hillis and Brian Silverman in 1978. Currently in the Computer Museum History Center, this device was constructed by more than 10,000 wooden parts, fishing line, sinkers and brass pins and never loses.
6. Presentation of Analysis by Synthesis model

Digressions

• the Minie ball (1849)
• Dr. Paul Broca
• Dr. Carl Wernicke
• Dr. K. S. Lashley
• Left-Handedness by Curtis Hardyck and Lewis F. Petrinovch, 1977, Psychological Bulletin, 84 (3):385-404.

Overhead Notes

1. Ferdinand de Saussure - la langue v. la parole
   "signs" - accoustic image, referent, relationship
   Noam Chomsky - competence v. performance
   syntax, semantics, pragmatics
   language is a communciation system, "species-specific"
2. a biological communication system specialized for the transmission of meaningful information between and within persons by means of linguistics signs.
   source -> transmit (ENCODE) -> channel (affected by noise) -> receive (DECODE) -> destination
   destination is both self and other
3. group #1: vocal/auditory channel, broadcast transmission and directional reception, complete feedback
   group #2: learnability, semanticity, discreteness
   group #3: duality, openness, semanticity
4. discussion of papers keeping in mind the distinctions of continuity v. discontinutity and powerful general capacity v. modules

Parting Thoughts

• Re-read the article by MacNeilage, Studdert-Kennedy, and Lindblom with special attention to the discussion basis under point #4 above.
• Assignment #2 is due in class on February 5, 2001.

Self-test Questions

• Imagine that an isolated group of the genus Homo erectus is discovered. They seem to communicate with combinations of brief utterances, perhaps just single words, and with gestures. Which of Hockett's features (stick to the 6 listed in your text) are most likely to be present? Justify your answer (always! this should go without saying!).
• If the modularity view is correct, what aspects of language are most likely to be specialized modules that operate without using general memory abilities? What aspects of language are most likely to depend more strongly on general cognitive abilities? (Justify, justify, justify!!)