Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!uwvax!uwslh!lishka
From: lishka@uwslh.slh.wisc.edu (Chris Lishka (a.k.a. Chri) )
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Machines *CAN* think!  They still do...
Message-ID: <1990Mar20.153713.15936@uwslh.slh.wisc.edu>
Date: 20 Mar 90 15:37:13 GMT
References: <1990Mar16.104707.29360@hellgate.utah.edu> <6979@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu>
Organization: Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene
Lines: 19

>From article <1990Mar16.104707.29360@hellgate.utah.edu>, by kbreinho%ug.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Keith Breinholt):
>>... Children are not born with the ability to understand a spoken language.
>>When was the last time you told your child how to construct a sentence?

According to Chomsky, children *are* born with some innate ability to
understand spoken language.  The evidence for this comes from many
studies which discovered that children around the world fail to make
some simple logical errors during the learning of a primary language.

Before taking a linguistics course I used to firmly believe in the
"nuture" side of the "nurture/nature" debate.  I was amazed to find
that humans do have at least some innate ability to aquire language
(at least at a young age).

-- 
Christopher Lishka 608-262-4485  "Somebody said to me, `But the Beatles were
Wisconsin State Lab. of Hygiene  antimaterialistic.'  That's a huge myth.  John
   lishka@uwslh.slh.wisc.edu     and I literally used to sit down and say `Now,
   uunet!uwvax!uwslh!lishka      let's write a swimming pool'."--Paul McCartney