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The Cognitive Architecture of Signs: Al-Mutairi, Chomsky and Saussure in Dialogue

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Introduction The nature of human cognition raises the question of whether a unified cognitive faculty governs various systems of signs, including spoken language, writing, mathematics, sign language, etc. This inquiry challenges us to reconsider how different symbolic systems might be interconnected through a shared cognitive architecture. Noam Chomsky argues from a biolinguistic perspective that language is a specialized, innate cognitive faculty centered on syntax and the Merge operation. He views language as distinct from other symbolic systems, focusing primarily on spoken communication. On the other hand, Ferdinand de Saussure offers a broader perspective, emphasizing that language encompasses more than speech, extending to a general capacity for creating systems of signs. He argues that the essence of language lies in its abstract structure, independent of sensory modality, reflecting a unified cognitive faculty. Building on this idea, Fahad Rashed Al-Mutairi explores p...
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Chomsky’s Language Organ and UG: A Biological Response to Plato’s Problem

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Introduction The acquisition of language is one of the most remarkable cognitive achievements of humans, yet it raises profound questions about the nature of knowledge and learning. This article explores Noam Chomsky’s response to “Plato’s Problem,” a concept popularized by Bertrand Russell, which questions how humans can know so much given their limited experiences. In the realm of language acquisition, this problem highlights the gap between the complex grammatical knowledge children develop and the limited linguistic input they receive. This phenomenon, known as the poverty of the stimulus, suggests that much of what children know about language cannot be derived solely from environmental exposure or imitation. Chomsky addresses Plato’s Problem by proposing the existence of a biological “language organ”—a mental structure guided by Universal Grammar (UG), an innate set of principles shared across all humans. Rather than viewing language as something learned in the conventional s...
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Tracing the Invisible: Chomsky’s Insights into Language Structure and Mental Representation (Managua 3)

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  Introduction In March 1986, Noam Chomsky delivered a series of lectures at the Universidad Centroamericana (UCA) in Managua, including “Principles of Language Structure.” This lecture, later compiled in the book Language and Problems of Knowledge , is central to his exploration of the fundamental nature of language and its connection to the human mind. The lecture is not merely a description of linguistic phenomena but a deep analysis of the theoretical underpinnings of language as an innate feature of the human cognitive system. Chomsky distinguishes between two levels of linguistic inquiry: the descriptive level, which involves cataloging the specific properties of individual languages, and the explanatory level, which seeks to uncover the universal principles that govern all human languages. Central to his approach is the concept of Universal Grammar (UG), a set of innate, invariant principles and parameters that form the basis of all languages and enable rapid language ac...
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