The Computational Nature of Language: Chomsky’s Theoretical Perspectives in the 21st Century

 

Introduction

Noam Chomsky's linguistic theories have undergone significant evolution throughout his career. Examining his work in distinct phases can offer valuable insights into his changing beliefs and theoretical developments, much like analyzing the work of an artist with a long trajectory, such as Picasso, across different periods.

This article delves into Chomsky’s core beliefs as articulated in his September 24, 2016, interview with C.J. Polychroniou. In this conversation, Chomsky elucidates key aspects of his linguistic theory at that time, focusing on the unique and invariant nature of the human language faculty, the distinction between internal language (the language of thought) and external speech, and the evolutionary emergence of language in Homo Sapiens. His insights emphasize the Basic Property of language as a simple yet profound computational system and its deep-seated universal principles, such as structure-dependence. Furthermore, Chomsky addresses the innate nature of language, challenging the conventional representationalist doctrine.

Let us explore Chomsky’s central ideas as presented in the interview, highlighting the interplay between the internal computational system and its external manifestations, and the ongoing mysteries in understanding language evolution and function.

The Galilean Challenge and the Nature of Human Language

At the outset of the modern scientific revolution, thinkers like Galileo and the philosophers at the Port Royal monastery challenged us to consider the nature of human language. They marveled at our ability to create an infinite variety of expressions from a limited set of sounds, revealing the secrets of our minds and conveying our thoughts to others. This "Galilean challenge" was largely overlooked until the mid-20th century when it became a focal point in the study of language, highlighting one of the most profound insights into language and mind in history.

The Breakthrough of Computability Theory

The neglect of the Galilean challenge was due to a lack of intellectual tools to address it clearly. The breakthrough came with the work of Alan Turing and other mathematicians who developed the theory of computability, showing how a finite brain could produce an infinite variety of expressions. This allowed us to define the Basic Property of human language: the ability to construct an infinite array of structured expressions, each with a semantic interpretation for thought and externalizable through some sensory modality. This infinite set of expressions forms a "language of thought," central to reflection, inference, planning, and communication, with internal use being the predominant function of language.

Distinguishing Internal Language from External Speech

While speech is the common form of externalizing language, other forms like sign language or touch also suffice, requiring a slight adjustment to the Galilean challenge. More importantly, it is essential to distinguish the internal system of language knowledge from the actions accessing it, like production and perception. This distinction, clarified by the theory of computability, is crucial. For instance, arithmetical competence involves differentiating internal knowledge from actions like mental multiplication, which also depends on factors like memory constraints. Similarly, language production and perception involve accessing internal language but are influenced by other factors, such as short-term memory.

The Mystery of Creative Language Use

Significant progress has been made in understanding the internal language, but its creative use remains mysterious. This aligns with the broader enigma of voluntary action, where we understand the mechanisms but not the underlying creative force. The language faculty is assumed to be universally shared among humans, with minimal variation, reflecting our common recent origins. The main task in language inquiry is to understand the Basic Property—the genetic endowment for language. This involves investigating specific internal languages, their acquisition and use, evolution, genetic basis, and brain function. This research falls under the Biolinguistic Program, with Universal Grammar referring to the genetic basis and Generative Grammar to individual language theories.

Complexity and Simplicity in Language

Languages appear highly complex and diverse, leading to the belief that they vary arbitrarily and must be studied individually. However, just as biology has revealed limited life form variety, linguistics shows a similar pattern. The Basic Property views language as a computational system, consisting of atomic elements and rules to form complex structures. The elements, or lexical items, are seen as cultural products but are actually more mysterious. The computational procedure aims for simplicity, as simplicity in theory leads to deeper explanations. This principle, guided by Galileo's dictum that nature is simple, drives scientific inquiry and supports the idea that the language faculty evolved to be near optimal for a computational system.

The Faculty of Language as a Unique Human Trait

The faculty of language is a unique property of our species, invariant among human groups and absent in other species. Genomic studies suggest that the language faculty has not evolved significantly since human groups diverged, around 50,000 years after anatomically modern humans appeared about 200,000 years ago. Evidence indicates that the San group in Africa, which separated early, had language abilities preceding their separation and subsequent externalization of language. This suggests that language emerged with or shortly after modern humans, aligning with recent findings that language properties are simple yet profound. The notion that language evolved shortly after the emergence of Homo sapiens helps us flesh out our understanding of language evolution in ways previously unimaginable.

Universal Properties of Language

Universal properties of language became evident with the development of generative grammars. One such property, structure-dependence, reveals that language rules rely on structural properties rather than the external signal's linear order. For example, in the sentence "instinctively, birds that fly swim," the adverb "instinctively" associates only with the structurally closer verb "swim," not the linearly closer "fly." This innate property, evident in young children and supported by neurological research, underscores that structure-dependence is a fundamental aspect of universal grammar, stemming from the simplest computational operations.

Challenging the Representationalist Doctrine

The representationalist doctrine, which posits that language elements refer to extra-mental entities, is false for human language, though it holds for animal communication. Unlike animals, humans interpret elements of language through mental constructs. For instance, what constitutes a "river" depends on mental acts rather than physical continuity. Human language concepts, acquired with minimal experience and largely innate, challenge the representationalist view and highlight the unique nature of human cognition. The evolutionary origin of these innate concepts remains a profound mystery.

Revisiting the Galilean Challenge

The Galilean challenge must distinguish between language and speech and between internal language knowledge and external production. Language, an internal computational system generating a language of thought, is relatively simple, whereas the complexity of linguistic behavior arises from secondary processes mapping language to sensory-motor systems for externalization. Recent ideas on the neural basis of these computational operations and their evolutionary origins are promising, though the origins of computational elements and the creative use of language remain mysterious. Despite significant progress in the Biolinguistic Program, the more we learn about language, the more we realize its complexities and the extent of our ignorance.

Conclusion

Noam Chomsky’s linguistic theories, evolving over decades, have profoundly shaped our understanding of the nature of human language. In his exploration of language as a computational system, he highlights the importance of the internal language of thought, distinguishing it from the external manifestations we typically associate with speech. The Galilean challenge, revisited through the lens of modern computational theory, underscores the unique and innate properties of human language.

The breakthroughs in understanding the Basic Property of language and the principles of Universal Grammar reveal the simplicity and elegance underlying the apparent complexity and diversity of languages. This simplicity, aligned with the evolutionary history of Homo sapiens, suggests that the faculty of language emerged relatively recently and is universally shared among humans.

Chomsky's refutation of the representationalist doctrine further emphasizes the distinctiveness of human cognition, where language elements are mentally constructed rather than directly corresponding to external entities. This insight deepens our appreciation of the innate aspects of language acquisition and usage, a process shrouded in mystery yet fundamental to human nature.

Note: This article lays the groundwork for future discussions on Chomsky's key ideas from a Saussurean perspective, highlighting both the points of contact and the divergences between the two linguists.

Related Post:

Chomsky's Language Faculty Revisited: A Reading Through Saussure's Lens

 https://derridaforlinguists.blogspot.com/2024/08/blog-post_09.html

Saussure's Contributions to Linguistics: From Mythic Riders to Taxonomical Conundrums

https://derridaforlinguists.blogspot.com/2024/03/saussures-contributions-to-linguistics.html

Reference

Polychroniou, C.J. (2016, September 24). Noam Chomsky on the Evolution of Language: A Biolinguistic Perspective. Truthout. Retrieved from https://truthout.org/articles/noam-chomsky-on-the-evolution-of-language-a-biolinguistic-perspective/